Healthy habits for parenting

We all want to give our children the best we can. We’ve all had moments when looking after our children is the most rewarding thing in the world. But we’ve all been completely drained too. It can be so demanding.

Self-care is about finding ways to look after yourself. When you look after yourself you are looking after your children too.

Here are some of the benefits:

• It’s essential to good mental health.
• When you look after your own emotions, you’ll be more likely to help your child manage theirs.
• It’ll help you make sure you’ve got enough in your ‘tank’ to give to your child when they need it.
• You’ll be a role model, and your children will learn from you how to look after themselves.

Of course, it can be almost impossible to find enough time. Some days we’re all just grateful if we manage to drink our tea before it goes cold.

It’s also pretty easy to think of some of the things we need to do as self-indulgent or completely out of reach.

But if we think of healthy habits and self-care as things that we can do when we are with our children as well as when we’re on our own – it gets easier to squeeze in a few useful tricks.

If you want to try and build up more ways to look after yourself, see if you can pick one or two things from these lists.

Healthy habits

• Do you eat healthy snacks and a proper meal? Try not to eat only the children’s leftovers!
• How easily do you sleep? If you’re not getting enough sleep then see if you can change your routine before bed. Can you have a bath or a shower? Do you turn off your mobile?
• Are you getting enough time outdoors? It can be a big boost to mental and physical health.

Doing things just for you

• Grab chances to do something you enjoy – whether it’s your favourite food or a short phone call with a friend.
• Take opportunities to talk to people close to you about how you feel. Rant, grumble, cry – whatever you need. Choose family members or friends that make you feel valued and understood.
• Try to notice the good things around you and try to hold on to a sense of humour. Having a laugh at the crazy times in parenting is sometimes the only way to keep things in perspective!

Set pressure aside

• Hang out with people that encourage you. Try not to listen to the things that people say that make you feel bad or judged as a parent. Don’t let it be a competition!
• List the things that went well today (there will be something!) rather than the things that went badly
• Learn to say ‘no’ and don’t feel guilty. Everyone has limits. It’s not helpful to anyone to overload yourself.
• It’s ok to say ‘yes’ when people offer to help you and allow yourself to be cared for sometimes -, you can return the favour when they need it.

Many things can impact our mental health.

• If you notice that your mood is very low and you’re really struggling, reach out for help and talk to your GP.

• If you are going through a crisis and need urgent help, check out our list of mental health support that we can recommend.

• If you are worried about your financial situation, Turn2us provides practical help to people who are struggling financially.