It’s important to take a break from the daily grind – to rest and refresh. Self-care might mean different things to different people, but it benefits the entire family when taken care of oneself. Here are some tips to practice self-care as a family-
- Get up and move every day. Exercising can assist with sadness and anxiety symptoms. Make it a point to raise your heart rate for at least 20 minutes once a day. Take a family walk, stretch together in the living room which can work as self-care strategies for parents, or play games outside together.
- Establish a bedtime routine. For adults and children, going to bed simultaneously every night can help regulate the body’s internal clock and enhance sleep quality and is one of the best tips to practice self-care as a family. It’s also critical that everyone in the family gets enough sleep — adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep a night and youngsters should get at least nine hours.
- Express your feelings. It’s critical to talk about how everyone feels like a family and address any questions or concerns that children may have so that you can make self-care a family priority. Develop a self-reflection practice that includes feelings and thoughts.
- Be grateful for what you have. Develop the habit of being grateful all of the time. Take a minute to think about all the good that has happened and is happening whenever you’re too focused on things you don’t have or can’t do. It will alter your outlook on life, and educating your children to have a better outlook is a priceless gift.
- Get outside and unplug.
Unplugging and going for a stroll is free. For me, being inside for long periods dampens my spirits. Logging off of social media, turning off Netflix, and going outside do wonder. Take in a green environment or a body of water. It’ll undoubtedly lift your spirits.