As a parent it is natural to feel anxious, angry or stressed. After all raising children is an important and demanding job.
These emotions are natural to feel and can be managed by the way you approach these situations. Relation exercises can be a huge help to ease these emotions. This includes taking deep breaths and slowly exhaling (3 times)
Activities like exercise and engaging in nature can improve your mental and physical self care, loosing the mental demands of parenthood. 30mins a day of walking can greatly benefit your wellbeing.
Take a brain break for yourself and listen to some music or read a chapter from a book. Take a break from your phone and social media to give yourself a chance to rest, reset and rejuvenate.
Devise some self care strategies. Think about some activities that you can do that will help you feel better in each of these areas of your life. Take small steps- you don’t have to tackle everything all at once. Identify one small step you can take to begin caring for yourself better.
Engage and stay connected with friends, family and support networks. Feeling loneliness is common in new parents. Reaching out to family, connecting with friends or going to parent groups is extremely important for your mental health and feeling like you are being heard and acknowledged.
If you are feeling frustrated, overwhelmed or very angry, put your child in a safe place for example a cot or a bed. Take some time out until you feel calmer or ask someone else to look after your child for a while. It’s OK to ask for help. If you are having trouble coping call your local Parent Line on 1300 30 1300
Dear Parents, take care of yourself. You are your child’s first example of how to deal with life and its challenges. You are important. You are more than enough. You are loved.