In today’s hectic world, it can be all too easy for busy parents and foster carers to put themselves last – skipping meals, missing workouts, and skimping on sleep. However, making time for self-care is not selfish. In fact, looking after your own physical and mental health is key to keeping your family happy and healthy. When you make self-care a priority, the benefits ripple outwards, improving your relationships and creating a nurturing environment for the children in your care.
The Cost of Caregiver Burnout
As parents or foster carers, we spend so much time caring for everyone else in the family that it’s understandable to feel drained. However, prolonged stress and exhaustion can spiral into caregiver burnout, causing irritability, withdrawal, and even depression. This prevents you from being fully present and engaged with your partner and children in your care. Additionally, children pick up on their caregivers’ moods and behaviours. Seeing you stressed or unhappy can negatively impact their emotional development and well-being. Simply put, putting your needs last eventually takes a toll on the whole family.
How Self-Care Strengthens Relationships
Fostering agencies, such as Active Care Solutions, actively encourage foster carers to take time out for themselves. Carving out time for self-care – whether it’s exercise, hobbies, relaxing baths, or date nights – fills your cup so that you can be more patient, loving, and available for the children in your care. Making your health and happiness a priority models good behaviour for these children, teaching them the importance of balance and self-compassion from a young age. Additionally, investing in your partnership reminds you both why you fell in love and helps you weather difficult seasons of raising children. In this way, small acts of self-care yield huge relational dividends, bringing you closer together.
Establishing Healthy Family Habits
When you prioritise self-care, you’re more likely to institute healthy family habits as well. For instance, you’ll probably serve more nutritious meals, set reasonable bedtimes, and carve out downtime. Leading by example, you can coach your children to listen to their bodies, express emotions constructively, and cope with stress in healthy ways. Over time, these small daily practices give children the tools they need to make wise choices and forge positive relationships. Ultimately, your self-care benefits your children’s development, mental health, and overall well-being.
Overcoming Barriers
Of course, amidst demanding jobs, housework, children’s activities, and other obligations, self-care is often easier said than done. When you’re barely keeping all the balls in the air, taking time for yourself might feel downright impossible. However, there are simple ways to remove barriers:
- Ask your partner or friends for help covering chores or childcare so you can take breaks.
- Set reminders on your phone for daily self-care habits, just like any other important task.
- Wake up 30 minutes early to meditate, stretch, or enjoy a cup of tea before the chaos begins.
Raising a family while juggling myriad responsibilities leaves many parents and foster carers depleted and running on empty. However, carving out small pockets of time for self-care is not a luxury – it’s a necessity. Though it requires getting creative to overcome barriers, self-care is worth fighting for.
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
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Unfortunately often you don’t realize how important self care is until a medical emergency happens. It is vital for moms to take time out for themselves and prioritize their physical/mental health.
Burnout is so insidious, so you have to self-assess often!
This is great! Thank you for sharing. I try to do most of this but sometimes it takes a lot of work. I’m going to keep trying though.
I’ve spent a lifetime of caring for others. They need me, so I will be there for them. I have just learned to appreciate the small things in life.
I need to work on my self care more and these are some great tips to keep in mind.
As a mother of ten and grandmother of nineteen and counting, I can attest to the fact that self-care has a trickle down effect to all of your children and other family members. Thank you for sharing this post.