Plan to take time for yourself. Nurture your mind. Nurture your body. Replenish what you put out. Recognize that we need others to cuddle and hold us, too. We need solitude, time with our friends, and time to regroup so we may come at the challenges of parenthood from a place of strength – from a place of wholeness.
If taking time for yourself seems too hard, think of it as an important skill to model for your children. Put it right up there with eating well and getting physical activity and sleep.
Today is our last Giveaway Day! As we say farewell to AP Month and honor nurturing ourselves as parents, leave us comments below about ways you’ll plan to nourish yourself and you’ll be eligible to receive a digital issue and year’s subscription from a great parent-soul nurturing resource Mothering Magazine.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I nourish myself by making sure I take some time to read each evening because I love reading books. Since I’m still nursing and I’m pregnant, I just got a bunch of healthy, protein filled snacks from Trader Joe’s to nourish my body!
I try to nurture myself by setting aside some time each day (preferably in the morning) for a devotion or bible study and prayer. It helps me start my day out right.
Finding time for myself just for me is probably the hardest part of all. I’ve set a goal to run a 1/2 marathon by next fall. So that means I now need to train. The running has started and I feel so much better getting the quiet runs in by myself for a half hour or so. I also take one evening a week to just sit & knit something for myself and not the kids.
I am continually working on my self-care skills. My best tip is to take a “computer off day” at least once a month and spend that time focusing on self-nourishing activities. I also love participating in a Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal teleclass monthly–it always involves exactly what I need to hear. I try to remember to do only what fuels me, not what drains me, and to be very, very mindful of how I “spend” my life energy.
Thank you for the great reminder. I need to do more self-nurturing, especially since I am a role model for my child!
Saturday mornings are my me time. My DH takes the girls to his parents, and I can relax!
Loving connection with my husband is a high priority. It reminds us both that it was our love that made us parents!