One of the tired paradoxes of parenthood is that the more attentive and careful parent you are, the less time you have for anything else.

It seems as though every well-being blog, celebrity, and reality television show promotes well-being and self-care at every turn, transforming feeling good and being healthy into a massive industry.

But unless you make self-care a full-time job, it’s not hard to feel as though you’re climbing up a constantly growing mountain.

So - let us consider just where self-care can fit into your parenting schedule.

Repeated, Cycling Appointments

If you set your schedule ahead of time, you can more easily seek help where you need it. For example, it might be that you bring your entire family to Midtown Dental for their checkup every six months, and have your teeth properly cleaned there with the extra time this brings.

Perhaps once a month you’ll head to a spa after the school run, having your nails and skincare attended to, helping you feel like a million bucks. When you have a set routine, you’re more likely to avoid postponing essential appointments, and you can format upkeep into your general planning schedule.

Break Down Self-Care Into Incremental Steps

It might be that focusing on a large self-care task isn’t feasible at the moment, but you can still break down those little habits into constructive and healing moments that work for you. Perhaps you have time to read half a chapter of a novel you’re engaged with at breakfast time, before everyone wakes up, giving you ten minutes of bliss with a well-brewed coffee. 

Or perhaps you’ll be able to conduct some deep breathing exercise and yoga when your baby is enjoying their afternoon nap. You’ll become adept at spotting these opportunities when you have them.

Work On Deflating & Setting Boundaries

When you’re in the constant “I should do this” mindset, it’s hard to ever relax when you actually have time to sit down. However, a good way to flip this on its head is to make a solemn task of letting yourself decompress.

That can be harder than it seems. Often, you’ll check your baby monitor, your phone, your planner, or anything that makes you avoid feeling like you’re not being productive enough. But if you want to watch a film, or a television show, or read a book, it’s good to focus on that and avoid distractions unless you can.

If you let yourself focus on your rest time and break periods, they feel more significant and healing. This will help you gather your energy for all the tasks you need to complete. It will also help you better identify where weight isn’t being pulled - and where your partner or adult children should be more responsible. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for self care is to sit down, take stock, relax, and set your boundaries.

With this advice, you’re sure to fit self-care into your parenting schedule once more.