Thursday, April 26, 2018

Parenting Self-Care Ideas

At play group this week, First 5 Alpine provided a discussion and self-care project for parents and exempt providers.
Our presenter, Carol Ledesma of Choices for Children presented a few materials on stress and how to mitigate it's potential negative physical and emotional strain. 

Learning to Manage Stress
Stressful circumstances are impossible to avoid and constant negative stress can result in illnesses such as ulcers and high blood pressure. However, according to psychologist Kelly McGonigal, in her renowned TED Talks on "How to Make Stress Your Friend", our perception of stress has more of an impact on our health than stress itself. 
According to Kelly McGonigal....
"People who experienced a lot of stress but did not view stress as harmful were no more likely to die. In fact, they had the lowest risk of dying of anyone in the study, including people who had relatively little stress."
"When you change your mind about stress, you can change your body's response to stress."

Fortunately, the cycle of negative stress can be stopped by increasing our awareness of stress. Realize that stress is based on your perception of something that you feel threatens you- and you have the power to change that perception. When this happens, step back and ask yourself what about the situation threatens you- and how can you see it differently?

Additionally, Kelly McGonigal shared that the stress hormone oxytocin motivates us to seek the support and comfort of others during times of stress. This tip is reflected on a resource provided to parents at play group.

Still craving more ideas for self-care? Visit TinyBuddha for a list of 45 self-care ideas for the mind, body and soul as shared by our play group partner Live Violence Free at a recent session.

Creative Journaling
"Dear Diary...." A little old-fashioned? Of course, but journaling with a good, old-fashioned pen and paper forces you to unplug and reflect in private way that social media can never provide.

  • Use it strengthen your gratitude muscles by writing down what your are grateful for. This helps shift your mindset in a positive direction more often. 
  • If you have children, it's a great way to record all of the wonderful things they say and have to share with you. They grow up so fast!
  • Draw a picture of whatever inspires you at the moment. 
  • Record motivational quotes you have come across in books, web, movies, etc. 
  • Using journal prompts can allow the self-reflection necessary to combat anxiety and depression or improve self-view. Disco Bumblebee and Blessing Manifesting have created a list of prompts to get you started. 
First 5 Alpine purchased these journals for parents to personalize and use in a way that supported their self-care. The eye-catching labels were provided by Blessing Manifesting


Visit our prior posts on self-care for more tips on caring for yourself while caring for children:
Parents Need Care Too
Parents, Nurture Yourself

While the parents were discussing self-care, their kids were unwinding with a group painting :)


1 comment:

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