Boost Your Parenting Patience with These Simple Self-Care Practices
I love it when someone asks me advice. For a parenting strategist like me, who has a blog called Merry Meddling, it’s like pouring gasoline on a fire.
An Awesome Mom’s Question
I need to have more patience as a parent. Any suggestions?
Time to Merrily Meddle
Short on patience, but long on parenting? All moms understand why the Momma Bear in the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears had cold porridge – because she took care of herself last. If you’re like me, your patience runs thin after you’ve tended to everyone else in your hemisphere… except you.
Powerful Parenting Strategies:
Do I have suggestions? Of course I do!
What if I told you that you could ramp up your daily allotment of patience, simply by taking care of yourself first? Radical, right?
That may call for a few changes in how things are done in your family. Most likely, completely and immediately overhauling your life isn’t a realistic approach. That’s okay. Start with baby steps and work your way up.
Begin by designating three moments a day for yourself. Spend that time listening to your breathing slow down, for 5 minutes each time. You will feel more resilient, and be better equipped to handle whatever is coming at you next.
Here’s an idea… DO IT NOW. Close your eyes, sit back and listen to your breathing. Examine what it feels like. What? You don’t have 5 minutes right now? That’s okay. Take 2 minutes. Go ahead. Close your eyes and feel your breath. This post will still be here when you finish.
* * *
There are too many benefits from self-prioritizing to mention here, but here’s a sampling of my favorites:
- It’s empowering to claim time for yourself. Just thinking about it provides a tiny rush of Happy Hormones, so ride that wave!
- Putting yourself first will create a major paradigm shift, for you, and your family.
- You’ll teach your kids to have patience while they wait for your Me Moments to finish.
- Modeling behaviors that deliberately boost resiliency will give your kids ideas for when they don’t feel so resilient.
- Taking time to listen to your breathing is a dynamic form of self-soothing.
- Self-soothing improves the chemical/hormonal balance in your body.
Imagine if you begin this practice today, where you will be by this time next week, with 21 separate Me Moments under your belt. That’s 105 minutes, or 1¾ hours you will have taken for yourself. If you Supersize it by taking 6-minute Me Moments, you will have carved out over 2 hours a week for your deserving self! Those baby steps sure add up!
So, got any ideas when to do today’s Me Moments? While you’re at it, why not decide on when you can take tomorrow’s 5-minutes, three times a day?
This concept of taking care of you first is SO important that my course Connecting with Kids in a Disconnected World has an entire module devoted to self-care, entitled When You Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy. It’s five videos come at the beginning of the course by design. After all, how are you going to consistently connect with your kids if your patience is wearing thin? Check out the course for more parenting ideas!
——-
I’m always looking for more content to share with you. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
More soon. Wishing you and yours health and happiness,
Deborah Ann Davis
Parenting Strategist Extraordinaire 😉
Mama, it’s time to hit reset.
The Mommy Reset: When You Ain’t Happy… Ain’t Nobody Happy! will help you reclaim your joy and find balance—no more guilt, no more overwhelm. I’ll guide you through simple steps to find joy, calm, and balance in your life—so you can show up as the mom you want to be.
Join the Reset for Just $37 (Original $97) while the offer lasts!
When mama’s in a good place, everything else falls into place.
About the Author
Hi There! And, Welcome!
I’m Deborah Ann Davis, and I’ve been at this for over three decades, first as a high school teacher, and now as a parenting strategist within The Awesome Mom Tribe. I’m into sharing tons of techniques that put you in touch with yourself, despite all that negative energy out there.
On a personal note, I’m all about bird-watching, rock-collecting, picture-taking and science-geeking. I have a wonderful husband and we have an incredible daughter (objectively speaking, of course). Basically, with all its ups and downs, I love my life!
The Secret to a Healthy Life: Laugh Every Day!
