In 1994, the National Extension Parent Education Model was published. This model still guides our work in parent education today. The National Extension Parent Education Model lists 6 areas of essential parenting practices that include: Care For Self, Understand, Guide, Nurture, Motivate and Advocate.
Of these 6 areas, parents seem to struggle the most with Care for Self. Caring for oneself means taking time to do things for one’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health; things such as exercising, getting enough sleep, eating a proper diet, enjoying a hobby, managing stress, and maintaining relationships.
Caring for oneself may help to prevent or alleviate parental burnout, which is characterized by exhaustion in one’s parental role, feelings of being fed up with one’s parental role, and emotional distancing from one’s children. Other symptoms might include fatigue, a decrease in self-fulfillment, irritability, feelings of anxiety, changes in sleep, and substance use. Additionally, burnout can lead parents to become violent or neglectful towards their children.
Chances are you have heard the airline announcement to put your oxygen mask on first and then help your child with theirs. The reason for this is that if something happens to you, you will not be able to help your child. The same applies for your everyday life. If you take care of yourself, you will be better able to take care of your family.
Here are suggestions for managing parental burnout and taking care of you:
Talk – Share your experiences in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. Sharing feelings of burnout can facilitate social support. Be cautious of social media; instead look for online communities that have rules about shaming.
Reconsider your stress – Focus on what is important and what you have control over. Try to let go of things that are unimportant and are out of your control. It also helps to re-frame things. Instead of viewing difficult situations as a threat, try to view them as opportunities to grow or challenges to overcome.
Increase your knowledge and skills – learning about child development and increasing your parenting skills will help you have more realistic expectations of your child, provide you with more tools for handling challenging behavior, and will increase your confidence in the parenting role.
Take mini breaks – we can’t always go on a childless vacation to recharge so it’s good to know that caring for oneself does not need to take a lot of time. Try taking a 30 minute bath, a 15 minute walk, do a 5-minute meditation, or a few seconds to take a few deep breaths.
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.