Top 5 Ways to Stay Sane when you are a Stay-at-Home Parent
It is a universal fact that stay at home
parents are usually more stressed out than working parents. At least all the
stay at home parents will agree to this!
Let’s admit it, between all the potty
training, feeding, napping, playing, cleaning (and repeat); you are this close
to pulling your hair out! You often feel the need to walk in sunshine and feel
the wind in
your face, without having to deal with temper tantrums.
Yes! Your little one is precious, but,
he/she is also exhausting. So let me jump into my ‘Top 5 Ways to Stay Sane if
you are a Stay-at-Home Parent’. (image courtest: www.pixabay.com)
1. Use Every Opportunity to Relax
Relaxing will keep you calm and focused. Be
sure that you grab an opportunity to DE-stress. Relaxation can be anything that
you like, meditation, yoga, reading, art, music, dance whatever it is that
helps your nerves to settle down amidst the chaos of your life. Even if it is 5
minutes of shutting your eyes and lying still, be it! Or a simple doodle on a
scrap of paper. Something is better than nothing. The best time is nap time;
you can take a nap with your child or do whatever it is that you want to in
that 1-2 hours of your day.
2. Stay Passionate About Your Passions
It is very important for you to stay
passionate about what you love, be it a career or a skill you are good at. Keep
yourself updated with your field even if you're temporarily not pursuing it.
This will help you a great deal when you get out in the industry and start
working. Your knowledge about your interests and industry needs to be up to
date to remain competitive and efficient. Just because you had a child should not
mean you have to give up on your dreams forever. Your child will grow up and
you will have a chance to get back to your career.
3. Socialize with a Variety of People
Socialize Socialize Socialize! The more the
people the better it is. Making acquaintances will help you get out of the
house and also will broaden your scope for communication (get a change from
baby talk). It will allow for a breath of fresh air. What I mean by variety is
that, don't just look for parents with kids your age, find people with similar
interests, likes and career path. Don't get me wrong, if you find peers for
your child; that is awesome! However, while you can share characteristics about
your child with the other parent, (and they share theirs in return), it will
also become monotonous. Therefore, having other groups will help you talk about
other topics, and that will help you keep your mental balance. It is also a
good idea to let your child spend some quality time with grandparents, cousins,
uncles and aunts to give them a feel of family environment, and you take a
short trip without the child worry free since they are with trusted people.
4. ‘Play’ ‘Date’: Two Magic Words
'Play -Date’! I think these events are
exciting for parents and children alike. The reason being children play with
children, allowing the grownups to do anything apart from babysitting (one
parent will have to though). It is a great way to get other things done that
you can't find time for while at home with your little one. This time can help
you take your mind off from the baby issues you have to deal with all the time.
Play dates will benefit your child as well, since they learn to socialize,
behave, and interact with other people. It can teach your children a great
deal.
5. Learn to Ignore and Let Go
This skill will come handy to all you
Working-with-Children parents (as I like to call it). Sometimes, you might get
bogged down with stress and pressure, you might have others telling you, ‘You
should just get out there and work!”, or others who say, “Oh! So what do you do
all day at home?” There will be some who say, “You are so lucky, you get to
stay home and do nothing.” To all these comments, I would say, “IGNORE”. You
cannot fight them, or explain to them, or get them to understand exactly how
much you do; and you don't need to. Everyone has their own challenges and to
each their own. Do not let these snide comments bother you the slightest. It is
too small compared to the other important things that need to occupy your mind.
So my dear Working-with-Children parents,
don't fret, you are not alone, and you are doing an amazing job of bringing up
responsible, kind and good human beings. Who knows, they might change the world
tomorrow, and the credit will be yours to take. Always remember that the world
might be a better place tomorrow, because you invested your precious time to
raise your child right.
Yes, it is not easy, but hang- in there, these years
won't last forever.
How do you stay sane? leave a comment below ☺
Stay Sane! Stay a loving parent!
This was another one..amazing thought..
ReplyDeleteI try to do as much as I can.at the end of the day I actually feel like going away from everything..
But still as u said we need to relax our own way n so do I with my afternoon tea and my couch..that 1 hr which gives me so much pleasure I can't describe in words ..lol.
Hello Zainab,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your way to stay sane. I'm sure that one hour serves you right! Let keep that spirit going...all the best 😘
This is so welll written ! Infact most of these can be used by everyone if you want to stay sane in today’s fast paced life ! Great writing Qurious writer !
ReplyDeleteHey Jameela,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Yes, fast paced is what we have become. Hope my tips give a fast solution to these fast paced stressers 😊