When you have a family, it can be very hard to get time by yourself or along with your spouse. However, it is still important that you find the time to spend with your partner and time to relax by yourself.
If you are feeling tense and anxious because you never get the time to relax and clear your mind, you are far from alone. While it is still important to find a way to get that much-needed time alone, it may also help you to learn some relaxation techniques.
BetterHelp is a great place to look for resources on mindfulness meditation, deep breathing activities, or even to find a therapist. These things could help you make better use of the time that you do have.
Let’s look at some of the things you can do to free up some time for yourself.
Time Management
While you may not actually have any time to manage if you have children and a family to care for and spend time with, a lot of parents find that if they better use the time throughout the day, they can actually free up an hour of free time every night.
If you can find a way to work on chores with your kids around or use the morning better instead of spending an hour on social media, that could free up more time to spend alone or with your spouse. Multitasking can also be a good choice for some activities.
However, it is important to note that you do not want to make time by sleeping less. Many parents decide that they want to push back their bedtime to get just a little time while the kids are asleep, but that can have a negative impact on your mental health and well-being in the long run.
Boundaries
While toddlers sometimes do not respect boundaries, they will be more likely to if you set clear ones and stick with them. Every person in the household has their own needs about alone time as well as time with each other that should be taken seriously.
Make sure that you communicate those needs to everybody in the household, even if they are young children that cannot express their own needs yet. Children will usually understand that you need time to rest and relax and will be more likely to spend time by themselves if you make it a routine.
Whenever your kids get past napping ages, you may find that that hour or two each day was the only thing keeping you sane. However, you can still make that same time frame alone and quiet time for the children, thereby retaining the much-needed alone time for you.
Take Parenting Shifts
If you are raising a family with your partner, you can work out shifts so that both you and your partner can get some time alone. Sure, you may want along time together, but this can at least help you both get some necessary relaxation and rest.
Having time apart from your partner is a good thing. It does not mean that you do not want to spend time together or as a complete family. All it means is that you need the time alone to recuperate and reduce your tension.
You may even want to create a small space within the home that is your area and nobody else’s. This can help you feel in control, and you can go to that place for a set period of time each day to escape from the stress that a family can bring. Then, when you go back to your children and family, you may find that you are a better parent because you allow yourself to relax.
Take a Walk
Spending time by yourself can be great, but so can exercise and spending time outdoors. If you have the ability to take daily walks outside, even if only briefly, you may find that your stress levels decrease.
Instead of using every moment without the kids to be productive and complete chores and other tasks, you may find that you do better by allowing yourself to take a walk instead during one of your breaks.
You can also choose to engage in another enjoyable or relaxing activity. If you like to write, you may want to consider starting a diary or gratitude journal. You may want to pick up a new hobby that allows you to relax while making good, productive use of the little time that you have by yourself. Life is supposed to be enjoyable, but it won’t be if you are always busy and only use extra time to complete more work or chores.
Weekly Date Night
Taking one night each and every week, or even once a month can do wonders for boosting mood and improving your relationship with your spouse. Sure, it may take some time to find a babysitter, but if you do not ever have enough time with each other, then it will surely be worth it.
Parents sometimes have a hard time leaving their kids while going out to have fun because it can cause feelings of guilt. However, it shouldn’t because you can still be a great parent while also carving out some time in your busy schedule to spend with your spouse or even by yourself.
Conclusion
Parenting is a full-time job, plus some. However, that does not mean that you should never have any time by yourself or with your significant other. There are things you can do to ensure that you have the family time you need and the alone time that you want. This can lead to a happier family and an improvement in your well-being.
Bio: Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
Featured Image by rawpixel.com
