When is the last time you thought about taking some serious me time to do something that you love, or something that relaxes you? When you’re a parent, it’s really easy to spend all your time with your children, tidying up after your children, or planning things that revolve around your children. While a lot of the time this is totally expected and manageable, it’s simply not sustainable for most parents if there isn’t an opportunity for a little me time once in a while. We all need the chance to unwind, relax, and recharge every now and again without everything revolving around the kids, and that is totally okay!
So, what exactly does me time look like? It all depends on what you love to do, and what relaxes you! Some parents like to unwind with a few chapters of a great book in a hot bubble bath once a week, others find the time to go for an early morning jog every other day, some meet a fellow parent friend in a local coffee shop every week for a coffee and cake over a chat, while others manage a child free night away every six months. Ideally, your idea of me time will be something that you can manage to do fairly frequently!
If you’re a new parent and have a babe in arms, then you might find you can take your little one with you when you carve out a little bit of time to focus on yourself. Going for a walk around the park, grabbing a coffee with a friend, going to investigate the new local art installation, or just having a mooch round your favourite shop – these are all things that you can take your little baby along to if you’re feeling up to it! Alternatively, or if you have slightly older kids, see if grandparents or a trusted friend will watch over the kids for an hour so you can do something just for you while not having to worry about looking after anyone. If you have a partner, ask if they’re happy to solo parent for an evening while you meet up with a friend, and see if you can return the favour for them at a later date!
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