There are a lot of times in a parent’s day where there are more demands on them than what they can possibly do. They’re cooking, cleaning, preparing, planning, taking and making calls, checking and double-checking, reading, signing, fixing, refereeing… they only have two hands, but sometimes it feels like they need six.

We often get stuck in the cycle of getting consumed by all the demands in our life. The reality is the housework is always going to be there. You will always come across tasks that need to be completed and times where it often feels like it all needs top priority.

While parenthood is definitely one of life’s greatest joys, it can also be one of life’s most time consuming and overwhelming jobs. It can be difficult enough balancing responsibilities and quality time with family, thus making time for one’s self as a parent is never a top priority.

Over time, every parent develops a way of prioritising what needs to happen in each moment. A pattern often seen, however, is that parents tend to put themselves lower down on that list of priorities.

Here’s a reminder that all parents can, and should, be a priority too.

Finding Time

Time becomes a luxury when you are a parent, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy time for yourself.

When we don’t make time to take care of ourselves, we are saying that everything else we do is more important. The washing is more important. Cleaning is more important. Really?? Do you think these things would get done (or get done well) if you became sick or burnt-out from chronic stress as a result of running on ‘empty’? No way!

If we keep looking at our lives with an “I don’t have time” mindset, we inevitably keep finding evidence of how we are lacking in time.

Ever been short of time, madly racing around and then something else really urgent pops up and suddenly you’ve got to fit that in too? What happens? Often you get it all done. You manage to fit it in, or you let something not so important fall by the wayside. This is because you made that urgent thing a priority.

Having the time to do something (like ‘me time’) is never about time, it’s about priorities!

If we do not make ourselves a priority, we won’t make time for our personal time out. We’ll keep putting ourselves last and justify it by saying, “Oh, I didn’t have time for that”. But it’s not because we don’t have time. We always have time. It’s because we didn’t make it a priority.

An important lesson to learn is not to fill up your life with things until you have made a space for what matters most.

Letting Go

How each of us chooses to spend time for ourselves is an individual thing, but try not to get caught up in wanting the perfect version of ‘me’ time, as this defeats the purpose of having ‘me’ time in the first place, and cycles back to feelings of guilt.

If you had an extra 15 minutes, a half hour or an afternoon, what would you do to make yourself feel rejuvenated, relaxed and happy?

We need to respect our precious time and energy by spending it on tasks, or with people, that matter to us most. We aren’t doing ourselves any favours by overscheduling our days and taking time away from necessary self-care and development.

It’s important to start learning to say “no” to requests to do things that we don’t really want to, don’t value or don’t bring us satisfaction and joy. Practice by keeping the response simple and be firm and direct. If needed, consider a compromise, but make sure you stay true to yourself. And know that it’s ok if the other person initially feels upset or disappointed; their feelings are not within your control and remind yourself that you are looking out for you.

Lastly, ask for help by reaching out to partners, parents, in-laws or a good friend. Just ask! We are all worthy of getting a little help so that we can look after ourselves. Better yet, if they are old enough, asking the kids to help get things done can be a great way to ensure we have time just for ‘me’ later. Everyone will benefit from the experience all around.

When we do everything ourselves, all the time, we can sometimes leave other people feeling inadequate or less confident. Letting go of our need to control tasks and situations actually empowers others to step up, take ownership and responsibility for themselves, allowing us to kick back and put our feet up for a bit!

Plan for Fun

So many parents lose themselves in their new lives, struggling to balance being a parent, working, being a homemaker and trying to juggle all of the demands of their lives. But where did all the fun go?

Start living life, instead of just existing and going from task to task.  Just because someone is a parent and their workload has increased doesn’t mean they should stop enjoying parts of their life. It just means they have to manage it differently than before.

Life was never supposed to be all about dull, boring, monotonous tasks.  It’s about fun, adventure and experience.  Step outside of your rut over the next week and do something unique just for you – something that will give you a boost and a lift up to feeling inspired, encouraged and excited about life.

Deliberately take some time to have fun. Make you a priority today, because your quality of life depends on it. Make some time to do something that you love to do. Whether it’s with the kids, or whether you have to find someone to look after the kids while you do it. It’s time to shake it up and change your life. Make it your intention today to plan something fun in your life.

What is it you would like to do that would make you feel amazing?

Do you need a new outfit; a new hairstyle?

Could you go skydiving, go dancing or take pole-dancing lessons?

What is something that will bring you alive, make you feel like yourself again and remind you that you are a person with hopes, dreams and aspirations?

Parenthood is one of the most rewarding jobs we can have, but it’s not all of who we are. Nurture yourself and give yourself the attention you deserve. We deserve the break!

If you need any help with creating a happier parent workforce, or would like to know more about our parent support programs, then please give us a call today on 0402 294 953.  We’d love the opportunity to help!