Happy Friday everyone! I hope this post finds you well this week! My week was pretty good, the kids and I did three different origami projects this week, and yesterday their dad even did it with us!
I find that as a mom, if you don’t have many positive habits then you are really letting yourself down. You get burned out easier, you end up not feeling like yourself, losing yourself even.
Stress seems to eat away at you, and small issues can feel like major ones due to the burnout. This isn’t fair to you, but it isn’t fair to your children either. So, maybe we can figure out some positive habits for you to pick up and reduce your overall burnout and stress!
A Habit That Works with You
When you make a new habit, you can’t just randomly say to yourself “I think I will start working out an hour a day.” I mean you could, but if your habit goal doesn’t align with your lifestyle or your goals for your future, then it isn’t really going to stick, is it?
I used to work out for an hour a day, in a month I had lost twenty pounds and was proud of myself. But after that month was over, I was burned out, and I have not picked up a solid workout routine since.
This isn’t the case for everyone, but for me, my days are already hectic and that hour long workout, although making me stronger, also made me burn out in the worst way. I gained those 20 pounds back in 2 months.
Fast forward to now, and I don’t have a set workout routine, but I didn’t keep that weight on either. I found a way to make my workouts work for me. It isn’t an everyday thing, and it isn’t an hour long thing either.
Basically, I found a way for it to work in my lifestyle. And for you to get where you want to be, you need to make your good habits work in your life. You aren’t creating new habits to stay in the same place you are now, right?
Good Parent Habits
I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, I’m just not that person. But I do know a good habit when I see one, and as a mom, I know good habits that help me when I can’t keep my cool.
So, here are some habits that could contribute to your overall mental status as a parent, help reduce your burnout, and alleviate some overall stress.
· Incorporate a Morning and Evening Routine.
o Routines used to not be my thing, when I started doing this with my kids, I mentally fought myself for not doing it sooner. Having a routine that you practice daily becomes an automatic response to where you aren’t having to think in the morning just waking up, and in the evening when you are exhausted from a long day. It’s a no thought process and helps you take a mental break.
· Incorporating Mindfulness in your Day-to-Day.
o Yea, maybe you aren’t the meditative type I am certainly not, in fact I have ADHD. But that isn’t what this is about. It is about being present with yourself and turning your thoughts to the actual moment of what you are doing. I incorporated this into my morning routine to help me remember to do it, I do this while I stretch on my bed to get my blood flowing. I take into account the way it feels to breathe in and out, the length of my stretches, and practice being in the moment. It’s incredibly relaxing!
· Getting up at the Same Time Each Day.
o When you are routinely waking at the same time each morning you don’t have to wonder when your day will start, you won’t have to feel that nasty grogginess from oversleeping, and after so long your body starts to do it for you!
· Prioritize a Good Night’s Sleep.
o Sleep is such an important factor for life and making it a habit to go to bed at the same time each night and practicing some relaxation and breathing when you lay down can do wonders for you the next day. It even improves brain function guys! Sleep is vital!
· Incorporate Daily or Weekly Goal(s).
o Making goals is great for productivity, and reaching those goals is great for motivation and stress. For now, I make at least one goal a day, if I can’t think of something then the goal is to complete my to-do list. I feel such a great amount of pressure leave when I finish my goals.
· Breakfast!
o If eating breakfast daily is not a habit you practice right now, then you should do this one too. I used to not eat breakfast, it would make me feel gross and I just wouldn’t be hungry anyways. Now, about an hour or sometimes 2 hours after I get up, I make sure to have breakfast even if it is small and quick. This feels like it helps give me a boost to finish my day.
· Regular Self-Care.
o Ensuring that you are making a habit out of self-care gives you an edge and increases good mental health. When mom and dad are good, the kiddos are good. Burnout is less, and so is the stress!
· Incorporate Parent-Child Bonding Time.
o While you are making good habits for a better version of you and to help your stress levels, incorporating some time with your kids for a project or to watch a movie/TV show, can help too. Being someone that does things with their kiddos makes you and them feel tons better.
Relationships of all kinds can come and go, but a good relationship with your kids is a lifetime practice. I have made it a point to do something with them every day that has nothing to do with chores and work.
They help with baking, we made playdough not long ago, and these fun origami projects, it doesn’t really matter what it is. Something you can do with them that makes you all happy makes for a beautiful time and it’s a healthy habit to practice.
Final Thoughts
Practicing good habits is important for a healthy and better lifestyle overall. Doing them as a parent is a game-changer. You feel more present in your daily activities, you can focus on ways to improve your lifestyle and your kiddos. You won’t get burnt so quickly after a long day, and it’ll help you so much in so many ways.
You can’t change all of the bad habits at once, this is sure to backfire. But taking small steps to incorporate a healthier lifestyle for you all is the best thing you could do and the best thing you could teach your children.
Best regards,
~TKNott~
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