by Angela V Carving out “me time” in general can be a difficult thing, try doing so once you become a parent and it gets a lot trickier. Finding the time to do something for yourself and taking care of your needs for a change shouldn’t be considered selfish or lead to feelings of guilt. Instead, it should be considered healthy and necessary.
Below you’ll find some ideas to help you carve out “me time” even when you have a hectic schedule.
Carving Out Me Time When You Are a Parent
- Start the day before the kids wake up: Yes, set that alarm clock to wake you up before the kids. Even an extra 30 minutes before the kids’ usual wake up time can help. Use the quiet time to exercise, read e-mails or drink your morning cup of coffee uninterrupted.
- Get an evening off per week: Take turns with your partner each week to get one night off when you can leave the house to do something for yourself. It could be a fun fitness class, going for a hike, going to work at a coffee shop, meeting friends, etc. If you are a single parent, you can ask a friend to babysit or hire a babysitter.
- Find a new hobby: Look for something new to learn or spend time pursuing a new hobby. I find the evenings, once the kids are in bed are the perfect time to do so, working on a hobby instead of doing chores or following the routine is an excellent way to get some space and refresh.
- Exercise: Exercising is a great way to take care of your body and your soul at the same time. I often run on the treadmill while watching Netflix; I love that I can do it from my phone or iPad and catch up on my favourite series while I work out, all on my own schedule.
- Introduce quiet reading time: Something that we started doing with the boys after they stopped taking naps in the afternoons was quiet reading time. We all take an hour break after lunch and grab a book and read quietly. I love that I can also read a book myself during this period and enjoy some quiet time.
How do you find “me time” during the day?
Disclosure: This is a partnered post with Netflix. However, all opinions and views on this post are 100% my own.
15 Comments on “Carving Out Me Time When You Are a Parent”
I don’t remember ever having me-time whilst mine were young, with 7 there was piles of laundry, ironing, cleaning and lots of cooking. When they got older then I had time to sort out the garden, grow vegetables and flowers, do some cross-stitch and read too.
Parent or not a lot of people\s hectic lifestyles are getting the best of them, better sit back and netflix.
When the kids were little, I started the day early and those morning minutes were my time. Now, there is a set time during the day when I am not to be bothered while I meditate and enjoy my tea.
so important to take some time for yourself! I don’t get up earlier then my kids in the morning (i used to) but my oldest wakes at 6am so any earlier and I am not making it through my day lol. and thankfully my kids go to bed at a decent time (8pm) so i have time to work out for an hour, get lunches together, and watch tv for a bit. one thing I would like to start doing is throwing in some reading time 🙂
These are all great tips! I have to lay down everyday between 2-3pm or I will be very cranky, and just that short quiet time helps energize me!!
I feel guilty taking me time while the kids are with me now – I feel that I only have limited time with them, I should focus on them. I have time on my own when they are at their Dad’s to focus on me… I can’t get past that.
Mishelle
this week especially has been tough to get any me time!
I really enjoyed reading this article even though as a parent you know these things the reminder is really good the advice to get a new hobby and try new things out or even waking up earlier or introducing reading time is a great idea. The reading I never really thought of and I will be trying this out for sure. Thank you for the reminder and a new idea to have quiet time reading.
Hobbies and reading are my favorite me time activities.
My husband thought this was a great read for me and we have now established a min of one evening a week where I can do whatever I like, either out or in. I stolled aimlessly through Michaels the other day and LOVED every minute!
Me time is so important. A happy Mommy means a happy family. I like to carve out reading time. I also like getting out of the house to do something just for me.
My wife just had a ‘discussion’ with our daughter reminding her that she still needs to see her, that she misses her. Between school, friends, boys etc it’s hard to get any time with them when they get older. It’s hard to let go, especially for mom.
Me time for me is after I put the little one to bed but it’s quite short because I am usually so tired I end up falling asleep!
It can definitely be tricky to squeezing that me time. I love getting up earlier than everyone else, it’s so peaceful. And at the end of the night I relax my mind with a good book. I need to get better with the exercise thing though.
Great suggestions. Definitely need this time as a parent.