Self-care is a buzzword these days. We are sure you must have definitely encountered it at least once. However, it has been seen that while individuals freely talk about self-care, the idea of taking time for oneself often feels selfish to many parents. The thing is that when parents start prioritizing their child’s needs over theirs, the concept of self-care looks impractical or impossible to them. This notion is though, not right! In fact, we at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, one of the best CBSE schools in Gurgaon, believe that self-care is crucial for everyone. It is essential for maintaining healthy physical and mental health. When we say that, parents are no exception to it!
Today through this article, we want the parents to understand that when you start neglecting your own needs and health, it does not do any good to you or your children for that matter. Instead, it leads to severe consequences. It might lead you to feel frequent burnouts, stress, and you may even develop a certain illness. Thus, if you are one of those parents who shy away from self-care because it makes you feel like a selfish parent, this article is for you!
To give you better clarity on the subject, we’ve listed below some practical reasons highlighting why self-care isn’t selfish and why parents should make it a part of their daily routine.
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It Models Healthy Habits for Children
Children always turn to their parents for inspiration and imitate their habits. When you start showing your children the importance of self-care, they will also try to take better care of themselves. Teaching self-care is like teaching to take care of one’s well-being instead of depending on others.
A simple way to model healthy habits for children is by regularly taking out time for meditation and exercise. These are excellent ways to keep your overall health in shape, reduce stress, and improve your mood. Seeing you indulge in these self-care activities would tempt your kids to do the same and shape their healthy growth habits.
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Enhances Productivity & Efficiency
It can be surprising, but regular self-care can improve your productivity and efficiency as parents. Contrary to the popular belief, self-care isn’t only about relaxation. It is crucial to recharge oneself and be able to focus better on the assigned tasks. You would notice that parents who make self-care a part of their routine are faster in completing their work with the highest levels of efficiency.
There are no rigid rules for self-care, and they can be anything that helps you rejuvenate. For example, at Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, we often recommend our teachers to indulge in simple self-care tasks, like getting a good night’s sleep, taking a quick break in between work, etc. You can follow the same for great results.
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Improves Mental Health
Parenting is a demanding job that can often leave you emotionally drained. If you want to effortlessly keep up with the parenting demands, you must keep your mental health in good shape. If you avoid self-care and immerse yourself in caring for your kids, you can become vulnerable to depression, anxiety, severe stress, etc.
With self-care, you can also improve your physical health. If you’re already feeling drained out and need help with mental health, we recommend indulging in self-care activities like taking a therapy, starting a journal writing habit, or actively participating in any activity that brings you peace of mind. Once your physical, mental, and emotional needs are met, you’ll be better able to care of your kids.
Conclusion
Indulging in self-care is the best gift you can give your family because taking care of oneself helps tremendously in taking better care of the entire family. As parents, you may feel the need to prioritize your kid’s needs over yours, but we recommend not indulging in ignoring your needs. At Delhi Public School Sushant Lok, one of the top 10 schools in Gurgaon, we believe a common ground can be achieved where everyone’s needs are equally taken care of. The best part about practicing self-care is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be complex or time-consuming.
Having said that, we understand that being a parent, incorporating self-care in your daily life can be challenging initially, but trust us, it will improve your life for the good. Following small steps like doing five to ten minutes of yoga a day, practicing deep breathing, taking frequent breaks in between work, and meditating for a few minutes are effective self-care habits. If you want to take good care of yourself and your kids, consider restarting a hobby, like gardening, going to the gym, painting, singing, etc. Start viewing self-care as an important aspect like eating, sleeping, etc., and you will be amazed at the positive impact it brings in your life.