Self-Care As a New Parent
Self-Care As a New Parent
it's very important for new parents to do what they can in order to fit in a bit of basic self-care.
Written by The Stay Sane Mom Staff | See Comments | Updated 12/15/2021
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Self-Care As a New Parent
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It's a basic fact of life that new parents are always extremely busy – which is not exactly surprising when you consider the weight of the responsibility of caring for a new life that you've just brought into the world, that is completely dependent on you in a range of different ways and for a variety of different reasons.
As a new parent, life can be pretty hectic and stressful – and that's without even factoring in some of the other negative situations that you may be confronted by, such as medical issues that may need you to contact medical malpractice attorneys in order to achieve a fair resolution.
At the same time, though, it's very important for new parents to do what they can in order to fit in a bit of basic self-care.
Here are some tips for doing that.
Involve your loved ones as a support system
If you have family nearby who you are on good terms with, and especially if you have a partner with who you are raising your child, it could be a very powerful thing to involve your loved ones as a support system in order to help you with some of the childcare chores and duties – and also in order to get a bit of extra emotional support yourself, too.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you can just go up to any loved ones you have nearby and give them a list of chores that you need to be done. But it does mean that it's important to nurture and rely on your connections with those you're close to, in order to help you to deal with the challenges you are confronted by, in addition to experiencing a greater sense of wellbeing.
Find opportunities to do at least one thing each day that you find fun
Finding an opportunity to do at least one thing each day that you find fun can be very revitalizing when it comes to your own sense of well-being and positivity.
Importantly, this doesn't have to be anything major, either. It could be as straightforward as joking around with your significant other, watching one short episode of a TV program that you enjoy and that makes you laugh, or sharing one funny picture with a friend.
Even just a couple of minutes a day spent doing something that you find fun and uplifting can make a significant difference.
When the time is right, find ways to involve your child in pastimes you enjoy
When your child is old enough for you to take them out for longer periods of time, finding ways to involve them in pastimes that you enjoy – or to resume those pastimes as a family – can be a great form of self-care, while simultaneously helping to enrich your child's experience of life.
Of course, this won’t work for all activities – but it can certainly work for things like going on nature strolls, visiting museums and galleries, doing art, and so on.
Ultimately, there is no reason why you and your child can’t have fun at the same time, in some of the same contexts.
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The Stay Sane Mom Staff
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Occasionally we post blogs that are a team effort from The Stay Sane Mom staff. Fear not, these are still up to our quality standards, they just don't come from any one person (rather the team at large). As my 4-year-old says, teamwork makes the dream work.