When we’re exhausted and overwhelmed, it’s not only us who suffer, it’s our families too. Our patience slips, our decisions are poorer, our ability to show affection reduces. We all end up feeling the effects.
We shouldn’t need this justification to permit ourselves time for self-care, but somehow, often, we do!
Practising self-care does not mean neglecting our children. We don’t have to sleep train them or leave them for long periods of time in order to care for ourselves.
What we do need to do is find BALANCE. An equilibrium that works for the whole family. Without impacting your care for, and the optimal development of, your little ones.
This looks different for every family.
If you feel rejuvenated after yoga but can’t get to your regular class, perhaps you find a PT to come to your home, or follow a YouTube class during your little one’s naptime.
If you love going for walks in the park and listening to music, perhaps you can wear your baby, plug in your earphones and go for the same walk you used to enjoy.
If you don’t feel yourself without a fresh haircut and tidy nails, how about finding a home visit service to come to you?
Whatever it may be that rejuvenates you, find a way to include it in your life. A way to fill your cup, so that the whole family may feel happier and healthier.
Because you need it, Mama.
Because you deserve it, Mama.
Hayley Bukhamsin is founder of The Gentle Mama (www.thegentlemama.com, Instagram, Facebook). She is a certified Infant Sleep Educator, specialising in supporting parents to achieve healthier and happier sleep, balance for the whole family, and confidence in their instincts. Her primary motivation is to empower parents to cut through the clutter of confusing advice in order to listen to their own intuition and their babies’ communications.
Whilst Hayley’s clients come from all over the world, she currently lives with her husband and two daughters in Dubai, UAE. She earned a BA Hons degree from The University of Nottingham, UK, before starting a career in advertising. It wasn’t until the birth of her first daughter that she discovered her true passions: Attachment Parenting, Gentle Parenting and, above all, healthy infant sleep.
For the last 5 years, Hayley has pursued this passion actively, building an Attachment Parenting community within the UAE, blogging about her parenting experiences, founding The Gentle Mama and writing for national and international titles including The Natural Parent Magazine.
