Parents! Take Time For Yourself

[Help Me 2 Parent]

Does Being A Mom, Dad Or Parent.Mean You Cannot Do Anything For Yourself Or Be Yourself Anymore?
Many parents I treat for stress of one kind of another but often it is the stress of not having time to be able to think anymore or have any time for themselves. By being a parent you have created a new little person who demands your time, love and respect. However, boundaries are important so at the end of the day there is a little bit of you left too.
I often get asked the question,
What can I actually do to help myself to keep myself healthy & well? Or, if I just wish I knew where to start? There is actually a lot you can do for yourself, that is the main focus of my treatments is to help people to continue helping themselves. Sometimes when we are suffering pain or discomfort or some form of illness it can be a lonely time as you may feel ‘no one understands’ what you are going through…sometimes it can be great to speak to a friend or family member if you can or sometimes speaking to a complete stranger is much easier as you feel you will not be judged or feel bad about saying something to offend someone. As parents the guilt, the responsibility, can be too much sometimes, its ok, its important not to be critical of yourself.
Start with a goal of ‘I am taking good care of myself TODAY’. Take some very special time out for you away from everyone and everything and just sit or lie quietly and comfortably. Listen to your breath as it goes in and out with your eyes closed…have you ever done this before? This can be just five minutes in the loo, in the car, while you little one is in playschool, school or asleep.
Yes, there will be loads of laundry, household tasks screaming at you, however I promise you if you close your eyes and forget about them for just 5 minutes to deep breath, have a glass of water, pinch all around your jaw area you will feel much better and surprise, surprise, no one will have run away with the housework, it will still be there. It can wait. You have to start stealing a few minutes here and there wherever and however you can.
If you have 20-30 minutes you can really pamper yourself…
To enhance this relaxing effect you can listen to soft music or something classical…you can pray, you can listen to the birds or the waves or the wind blowing against the leaves or you can look at a beautiful picture of a sunset or a landscape or dream of some beautiful place that you have visited or dream of going somewhere beautiful or whatever you enjoy and allow yourself to just be. Stop worrying about your ailment and all the others things you may be constantly thinking about or worrying over it. Doing this for a few minutes every day helps you appreciate all you actually have already and all you can be thankful for. In today’s chaotic society actually stopping and absorbing what is around us is happening less frequently as we feel we there is never enough time. Often when we get sick or ill or develop a pain, it is our bodies’ natural way of telling us to stop, otherwise it crashes. Remember Prevention is the best cure of all!
If you are really concerned over your ailment, now is the time to have it checked. Go to your doctor and have a good check up done to put your mind at ease. Worrying over it will only create further tension and turmoil in your body.



How do you feel when you see something beautiful or first thing in the morning when the sun is beating down? It usually makes you feel good I bet. This is a positive feeling. Hold on to it in your mind, Visualise, dream, imagine life without your ailment and the tension created by it will ease. Practice makes this technique perfect!
Drink plenty of water to wash out toxins. Most people do not drink enough pure liquids everyday. A toxic body leads on to tiredness, aches, pains, sleepless nights and much more. Start today to flush them away!
Cut out rubbish for as long as possible and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and plain foods to give your digestive system a good rest. This is a major tonic in itself. Just start off by making one small change, e.g eat no processed foods for a few days, reduce tea or coffee intake.
Make time to eat, if you are trying to feed yourself and your small kids at the same time, chances are you go without eating anything substantial. Either feed them first or feed yourself first; both together leads to panic, frustration as you are concentrating on them and on what you eat. You need to be aware you need proper regular meals too to sustain your energy, your nutrient balance, your health.
Get to bed early. Sleep is vital for a healthy mind and body. Be strict with your children about sleeping in your bed, unless there are sick or really need you at a particular time. If you dream or suffer from nightmares, it can be a sign that there is something on your mind that you need to get sorted or it may be something you are worried or anxious over or you may have toxins in your system. Sometimes when we have toxins in our system, often they can be most active at night time causing sleepless nights. When you are lacking sleep you will feel tired, irritable, grumpy and have aches and pains and much more the next day. You will feel unmotivated and find it difficult to concentrate.
Regular exercise is very important to help promote healing & maintain a healthy body. Unused muscles lead to tired, achy, sore, overweight body. If one particular area is hurting you, others muscles have to compensate and then they become overused and tired. Start with very gentle exercise, even 10 minutes a day equals 70 minutes a week. Exercising in the house means the weather can’t be an excuse but get out into the fresh air as much as possible. Be aware of your posture while you are walking, sitting, eating, driving and so on Even a little gardening can work wonders and promotes a sense of achievement. Squatting, bum clenching, playing with the kids, running up and down the stairs, all count as exercise. Focus a little time on you.
Get practicing these tips, with JUST 5 MINUTES a day with quality time focused on you, I promise you , you will feel the benefit. You will feel like yourself again. The more you practice the greater the benefit, the easier it gets. Let go of the guilt, you deserve to ..JUST BE YOU!!
If you liked these tips then I know you will love my free 31days of superfocused re-energising tips http://www.kinesicare.ie/31days
Gertrude Lawler Kinesiologist (DipAK) Food Technologist, practices in Clane. Enquiries or to obtain your call 086 3888535 Email:Gertrude@kinesicare.ie http://www.kinesecare.ie