The need for self-care applies to everyone, regardless of age. Both adults and kids need time to recharge, refresh, and reset. And teaching your children at a young age how to engage in self-care will better prepare them for adulthood. Today, Twisted Twinology outlines some tips to get them started right.
Understanding Self-Care For Kids
Like academics, self-care is essential for the growth and development of kids. When applied appropriately, ChildSavers notes that self-care will enable kids to identify their physical needs and attend to them before any emotional impacts.
Create time after dinner or during weekends for a family get-together. Ensure that every member of the family is present for the self-care planning. In your self-care plan for kids, ensure that you incorporate mindfulness and meditation, among other forms of relaxation, into your family schedule. This will help reduce screen time and eliminate the stress associated with tight schedules.
You could create a balance of self-care activities that support the body and mind of your kids. Activities that care for the body include exercise, breathing, good nutrition, and proper hydration. Similarly, it would help to incorporate mental health support into your activities. This includes engaging in meaningful interactions with your children.
It all starts at home, where you spend most of your time, so make sure your living space is a welcoming and inviting environment that allows everyone to focus on self-care. This means dealing with any areas that may be inducing stress or anxiety, such as removing clutter and bringing in a little Mother Nature with a few houseplants, which also helps purify the air.
Role-Modeling Self-Care For Your Children
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry points out that parents play a major role in determining their kid’s self-care routine. Thus, if you are stressed as a parent, it could negatively impact your child’s development. Business owners, in particular, are vulnerable to burnout because of the stress and long working hours that accompany starting a business.
Besides causing general body illness, burnout can also result in depression, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness and disinterest. To avoid burnout as a business owner, ensure to practice time management without overwhelming yourself.
Here are some strategies to put in place to help avoid burnout for the sake of your children’s welfare:
- Limiting Distractions. Building a business venture from scratch poses numerous stressors that can lead to burnout. When you notice any signs of wearing down, limit distractions and concentrate on important things. This strategy includes staying away from your laptop, phone, and TV, among other screens.
- Staying Focused. It is typical for humans to procrastinate tasks, especially if they appear overwhelming. This may result in detachment or disinterest in your family and business responsibilities. A simple remedy is sticking to a timetable with regular break intervals to help keep your motivation high.
- Delegating Tasks. Starting and running your business is not only overwhelming but also lonely. Shuffling between creating business plans, gaining and maintaining clients, and finalizing urgent paperwork is not a walk in the park, especially if you are working independently. As a result, it is important to share the weight on your shoulders by delegating certain tasks.
- Streamline Your Home for Relaxation. Beyond simply adopting the right attitude, there’s a lot you can do to make your home more conducive to self-care, especially in your backyard. Planting a garden or setting up an area for outdoor yoga are great ways to relax. If the ground isn’t flat enough, simply search for “ground leveling near me” and browse the ratings and reviews of professionals in your area.
- Model Sensible Precautions. You don’t want your children to live in fear of the world but you do want them to exercise a reasonable amount of caution, so modeling this is crucial. A good way to start is by researching fair reviews of products you’re thinking about buying and involving your children in the decision making process.
- Tackling Larger Tasks In The Morning. Typically, the best time to tackle complex tasks is in the morning when you’re fresh. Similarly, spending the early hours of the day brainstorming about particular tasks and ideas could prove to be beneficial. On the other hand, small tasks are better tackled when burnout kicks in in the evening.
Conclusion
Self-care is just as important for children as it is for adults. It will help build their confidence and improve their physical and mental health. Since the most effective way to teach children is by example, ensure that you take care of yourself so that your kids will emulate you. This must be applied in all situations, whether at home, at work, or on vacation.
Twisted Twinology hopes to share our twisted twinology of motherhood, life, parenting, being an identical twin, fashion, technology, cooking and many other topics for others to relish and learn from our experiences. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].