Your child has the best chance of being safe, happy, and healthy if you are taking care of yourself. Being a parent can be overwhelming at times, especially when you’re a teen. If you aren’t happy and healthy, it may feel impossible to take good care of your child.
Finding time to take care of yourself may be more difficult than taking care of your baby. You may think it is selfish to devote time to your needs when you barely have time to meet your child’s needs, but taking time for your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being can help you to manage stress, feel better, and parent better.
Set aside time for yourself each day, no matter if it is just a few minutes.
Things you can do:
- Eat healthy foods
- Keep active
- Read
- Listen to music
- Draw
- Dance
- Keep a journal
- Pray
- Meditate
- Take a nap
- Anything else you enjoy doing just for you.
There are also stress relieving techniques that may be useful for you to learn. The easiest one is simply to take a few deep breaths once in a while. The extra oxygen lets your brain know to relax.
Be confident! Remind yourself that you are doing a good job as a parent. Nobody has all of the answers all of the time. Parenting isn’t easy for teens or adults. Your responsibility as a parent can be more manageable if you ask questions and ask for help when you need it. The best thing you can do in times of confusion is to ask an adult or caregiver what to do.
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Self Care – Free Things You Can Do
When you just need a break! Breathe! Everyone has moments when life just feels exhausting. When you are parenting, it’s important to avoid getting so exhausted that you just can’t function, to know how to recognize when you are getting stressed out, and to know how to get help if you...
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Exercise
Physical activity can help you to stay healthy, as well as reduce stress. You can try activities such as: walking, running, yoga, biking, or stretching.
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Diet
What you eat and what you feed your baby affects mental and physical health. Drinking plenty of water is also essential to health. Sometimes it may be hard to find healthy foods in your neighborhood, but..
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Feeling Alone?
A lot of people who are stressed out are afraid to ask for help and end up withdrawing from family, friends, and other people who can help them. If you don't tell people what is going on with you emotionally, you may be putting you and your baby at risk for more problems.
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Sleep
It can be hard to get a full night's sleep with a small child waking through the night, but try to get as much sleep as possible during the night and rest throughout the day whenever you can. A good time to get some extra sleep is during your child's naptime.
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