Me-time?
What is that?
How do you find it?
Does it even exist for parents?
Yes, yes, and you have to make time for it.
As a matter of fact, me-time is essential for your sanity. Your family will thank you greatly for getting me-time as MUCH as possible. Trust me on this one.
If you are anything like me you know that life gets hectic and busy at times. More often than not, you are constantly on the go with the little ones. Although school has ended and summer is here, I believe summer time may be a bit more hectic than school time.
So my schedule looks a little something like this: get up (earlier than kids to get my head in the game), get the kids up, be sure to make sure they are getting dressed and everything, fix breakfast, lunches, and comb hair. Attempt to get out of the door no later than 10 minutes past the time we are supposed to be gone (come on, please tell me I’m not the only one with this problem) battle traffic while heading safely to the summer camp. Drop off kids at camp and run errands before working. Pick kids up, battle traffic some more, fix dinner, get bedtime routine under way, go to bed and do it all over again.
I don’t know about you but I didn’t see a time in there that I could do ANYTHING for myself besides sleep and where’s the fun in that?
So if your schedule even remotely resembles mine and you need to find time to unwind just for yourself, then I have a solution that will knock your socks off. It’s what I like to call “Mommy Me-Time Routine (MMTR).” Disclaimer: If you are a dad this will work for you too however mommies are the ones in the trenches the most that’s why I titled it that way. But I digress.
Step One. Find something you love to do. Think about everything you love to do WITHOUT the kids. This is not being selfish, this is learning to find the balance and love yourself enough to make sure you are at your best for your family. So write down everything you want to do ALONE.
Step Two. Be sure you have a scheduled time to do it. Look at your list and mark on the calendar (at least once a week, once daily would be preferable however we are taking baby steps here) one thing from your list that you will be doing during each MMTR and be sure to schedule a time for someone else to keep an eye on the kids while you have your MMTR.
Step Three. Put it on your calendar. If you have a calendar on your phone that alerts you, this is best. Put it on the calendar as if it is the most important date in the world because it is. Treat it as such. After you have someone watching the kids, enjoy your time alone.
Simple as that. You must MAKE time for what is important and me-time is vital to your emotional health and the well-being of your family because if you don’t have time to recharge your battery, you are most likely not performing at your best for your family then you will begin to lose steam and find yourself more easily agitated.
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