Put on your oxygen mask first!
On planes and in life, parents need to secure their oxygen masks first if they are going to be useful to the others they are entrusted with. There has never been a time where this is more applicable. I thought working from home would be easy, but I haven’t been more wrong. It has been an adjustment trying to juggle work, my 3 kids home all day, chores, cooking three meals a day and throw in a new puppy we decided to get a week ago. Louie, our new puppy, is the cutest thing ever but guess what Louie likes to do? Wake up at 6 am and needs a lot of attention. Guess what I was doing at 6am before Louie? This was my time, to read and to exercise and to get myself ready for the day. So, after a few days of taking the 6am shift, not exercising or having “my time”, letting my 3 teenagers/young adults sleep until 11 I kinda went… crazy, lol. I wasn’t taking care of myself and instead was juggling a lot more balls then I was used to. We had a family meeting and just said I could not continue like this much longer. The kids were great and made up a schedule where they would take turns taking the 6am shift so I could exercise and prepare myself for the day. It has worked out wonderfully, they have actually said they don’t mind getting up because it gives them one on one time with Louie and I of course am able to have “my time” every morning.
So, what have you been sacrificing because of this change of schedule? I get it, it’s hard to have “me time” when we are quarantined to our homes. No more catching up with girlfriends on a Friday night or taking that spin class. We didn’t realize how much we would miss sitting inside a Chick Filet for a quick dinner or walking around the mall window shopping. But just like washing our hands and social distancing, self-care is imperative at this time. So, take time for yourself. Take the bubble bath, go for the long walk, get in the car and go for a lone drive, cranking up the music. Whatever it is, make it consistent and make it a priority.
Below is a link to the Child Mind Institute. They are using Facebook Live twice a day to help parents navigate this time. Also, Planet Fitness is also utilizing Facebook and uploading a workout a day to their page. Hoping you’ll check out these resources!
Steph Chambers M.Ed
