Finding Time To Relax as a Stay At Home Parent

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Being a stay at home parent can be a little manic, with a brood of tiny little monsters (or angels!) running around your feet every day. While you love your little darlings dearly, it can be a challenge to find time for yourself. Losing your identity is common as a stay at home parent. While you are still a lover, a friend, a sister, and an individual, you can quickly be known solely as mum. This can lead to anxiety and stress to begin to bubble under the surface. Finding time to relax as a stay at home parent can be tough, but it can be done!

Use Your Support Network

As a stay at home parent, you can begin to feel isolated. Being with your kids all day is a real joy, but when you don’t see anyone else other than your children, you can forget what adult contact is like. It’s vital that you can make time for playdates so you can converse and catch up with other parents. Invite some of your little one’s friends from a toddler group over for lunch. Forget about heading to the shops and order some fresh coffee beans online before getting your grinder and espresso maker out before your visitors arrive. Or, you could venture out and meet up in the park when the weather is fine. 

If you are eager to find time to yourself, rely on your partner to take over the primary carer role once in a while. One evening a week should be for you alone. You can venture to the cinema to catch a movie, go for a run, take a gentle cycle ride, go to the gym, or simply relax in the tub as you read the latest bestseller surrounded by scented candles. By tapping into those activities that you find stress-relieving, you can find time to yourself to help you re-find your mojo.

Yoga

If you haven’t attempted yoga because you see it as a bit of a wishy-washy hippie exercise, you need to give it a go. Coupled with mindfulness, yoga can help you to relax by moving your body into a range of postures and helping you to learn new breathing techniques. These relieve stress and stop you from worrying about the future. You will learn to channel your thoughts more into the present and maintain a more positive mindset. Yoga is a great exercise to strengthen your core and improve flexibility. There are even some specific mother and toddler yoga sessions, where you can take your little ones with you to have fun on the yoga mats.

Exercise

Even if you are more of an indoor bunny, you might find having a go at an outdoor activity can be fun and stress-relieving. Ask your partner to take care of the kids as you try and maintain your fitness by going for a jog or even speed walking around the block. When the weather gets a little crummy, consider signing up for the gym and having a go at Zumba, a spin class, or just a session on the treadmill. Take a buddy with you and enjoy bringing a spot of competition into a weight loss journey or a fitness quest.

Finding time to relax as a stay at home parent can be challenging. However, follow this guide and you can feel like yourself once again!