I’ve talked to a number of parents and surprisingly, many of us actually feel guilty when we spend a little time at the salon, at the shopping mall, and in other places of interest! Why? That’s because of the prevailing mentality that parents shall be forever tied to their kids to prove that they are performing their duties well!
Parenting is a tough job in itself and we shouldn’t make it more difficult by creating imaginary and unnecessary pressure to meet the unrealistic expectations of other people. To make you feel less guilty about self-care, let me prove some points:
1. The way you feel as a human being has a consequential effect on the way you act as a parent.
Was there ever a time when you unintentionally blurted out a negative word to your child or shouted at her just because you were so stressed from all the household chores or frustrated from work?
Millions of people across the globe would come to a point when the relationship with their children would get affected by the difficult circumstances of their career and personal lives.
Don’t wait for the time when your emotional bucket overflows with negativity. Rescue your soul from tiredness. Save yourself and your children from regretful situations that you may never take back.
2. Depression and anxiety are increasing at alarming levels among parents.
Generally, parents are regarded as heroes and strong figures in the eyes of their children. Although that could be true, we still cannot disregard the fact that a lot of parents today are facing anxiety and depression from unmet goals, unrealized desires, insecurities, and so much more.
The feeling of emptiness among parents is even furthered by their lack of opportunities to explore their own source of personal fulfillment. Many are trapped in the notion that once you become a parent, your world must now only revolve around your child.
3. Happiness is contagious. Where will your child’s happiness come from when you are void of it?
We all want to have happy children. We want them to grow up with the ability to smile despite life’s struggles. We’d like them to see laughing yet also learning from their mistakes. We want them to take the world easily yet also with full responsibility.
Such a predisposition in life can only be attained when they have the right influences. And who can most easily affect the way that children think but their parents, right?
4. Self-care is a right, never just a privilege. You do not lose this right by virtue of being a parent. Never!
Whoever said that you lose your right to self-care when you became a parent? Yes, you were given the responsibility to raise little souls but that does not mean that your basic right to experience personal happiness from your own hobbies, leisure activities, and other stuff would consequentially be removed from you.
Remember, you can and you must still take care of yourself and allow yourself some fun even when you are now a parent. Take a few hours off in a week to go to your favorite place, visit your friends, or have some me-time in a coffee shop. Don’t be afraid to ask help from your spouse or your extended family. Allow them to help you in raising your child so that you can also have the time to take care of yourself.
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