Self-Care For Parents Is Crucial!
Self-care for parents is not selfish, it’s crucial. You deserve to take care of yourself because, you deserve it! Each of us has a right to strive towards happiness and to value ourselves.
Taking care of your physical, spiritual, psychological and social needs will help you feel your best so you can be the best parent you can be. It’s important to set aside a little bit of time for self-care even when you feel like you don’t have a single second to devote to yourself. While there are many different self-care strategies for parents. It’s important to experiment with them to figure out which strategies work best for you.
1. Spend Time in Nature
Nature and forest therapy is a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forest and other natural environments. You can participate on a guided nature and forest therapy walk.
2. Set Time Out of the Day to Be Alone
It’s important to give yourself a few minutes of alone time. Even if it’s 10 minutes each day that you set aside to relax by yourself, a little solitude can help you unwind. That can mean waiting for your child to take a nap or waiting until a friend or family member is watching your child, give yourself permission to charge your batteries with a little alone time.
3. Schedule Time with Friends or Family
If you schedule a future social activity for yourself, it gives you something to look forward to. Which is a good for your mental health and is a good self-care strategy in itself. Then, actually engage in social activity will give another boost to your psychological well-being.
4. Get Out of the House
That doesn’t mean going out to food shop or commuting to work. We need more than just our office space and our kitchens. Going out for a walk, walking your dug, riding a bike can reduce the feeling of confinement and clear your head. Consider having a parent night out once or every other week.
5. Treat Yourself
From time to time, it’s okay to treat yourself. Our kids get treats but shouldn’t parents sometimes as well. We can treat ourselves by buying a new pair of sneakers, going to a sporting event, going to the movies, or going out to get desert for yourself. Parent need treats too!
There are many ways to practice self-care for parents, we hope these ideas can help you think about how you can bring self-care into your daily life as a parent.
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How to Prepare Your Mental Health As You Transition to College
If you are heading to college with a diagnosed mental health condition, you are not the only one. Many new students are in therapy, take medications, receive support services through college, private tutors, guidance counselors, or other agencies. Planning ahead for your mental health and academic support needs will make your transition to college healthier, easier, and more comfortable. Know the steps to prepare your mental health before stepping onto a college campus can help you so much.
- Time management– College can be more demanding than high school, plan to devote more time to your studies. Plan out your days and create a routine that you stick to every week. Having an assignment book to mark important assignments and tests can make your experience of college so much easier.
- Socializing– It can be fun to meet your roommate(s) and others on the floor in your building. Just remember that some people thrive on social interaction while others may struggle with that, so be kind to one another.
- Independence– Now that you’re on your own, you may feel the need to test your limits. Don’t make bad decisions based on peer pressure. Say “NO” to things you don’t want to do. Setting boundaries is very important and do not let people step over your boundaries and respect other people’s boundaries.
- Resources– Be sure to use to familiarize yourself with the resources on college campus. Consider joining a student organization and being involved. There is also learning assistance and resource centers, and student health services and counseling centers that can assist you if needed.
- Stress– Being aware that some amount of stress and anxiety is normal. You are in a setting with new people and new challenges. You can do this!
Sources:
Family Matters: Making the Transition to College – West Chester University (wcupa.edu)
Planning Ahead for Your Mental Health Care as You Transition to College | The Jed Foundation
Learn MoreBrynn Cicippio shares Her Story with Kathy Romano
Click the link to listen to Her Story with Kathy Romano with Brynn Cicippio, owner of BCA Therapy talks about therapy and the holidays.
https://957benfm.com/episodes/brynncicippio/
Learn MoreNarcissists Can Impact Your Life for the Worse!
Recovering for narcisstic abuse is possible, but it requires an incredible amount of strength and courage. Courage that you absolutely possess, if you’re willing to “Do the Work”. At BCA Therapy we have therapists in Yardley and Wayne, Pennsylvania that specialize in narcissistic abuse and are here to support you on this journey of recovery. Yourself respect has to run deeper than your feelings. Loving someone isn’t a reason to stay with someone who is continuously hurting you and disrespecting you. This is what is called a toxic relationship. If you do not take the first step and do the right thing by leaving the narcissist this will affect your mental health.
How can a narcissist impact your life? Let’s look at the jar here is how:
How much more are you going to take from a narcissist? Don’t you think it’s time to get away from them? The answer is you should take no more from them and get away from them. They are ruining your mental health. The jar can only hold so much just like your emotions! Don’t let it get that full before it overflows. This requires courage and strength to stay away from narcissists. But at BCA Therapy, we believe everyone is capable of doing this if you are willing to put the work in and do so. It will be so worth it, and the extra baggage will be lifted off you mentally.
Visit BCA Therapy we are located in the Bucks County and on the Main Line in Wayne, Pennsylvania! We have therapists that specialize in narcissistic abuse can help support you on your journey to recovery.
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