words by | Rachael Dupree
SELF-CARE for new parents
Refresh and renew your mind, body and spirit by giving yourself a time-out.
As a new parent, it’s easy to find yourself short on internal resources. Surviving on a few hours of sleep and a lot of caffeine just doesn’t cut it when you have a helpless infant depending on you for their every need. While adjusting to life with a baby, it’s important to make sure you’re taking care of yourself, as well. Self-care as a new parent is critical to making sure you can show up for your family without feeling run ragged, and it can look different for every person. You may hear people try to tell you what self-care is or isn’t, but the truth is only you can define what self-care is for you. The definition I like to go by is that if it helps you feel more whole, more filled up and more like your true self, then it’s self-care and a great thing to incorporate into your life.
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Indy’s Baby 2021/22
I like to think of self-care in terms of a hierarchy. At the bottom tier, you have your physical needs: wholesome food, adequate exercise, good sleep and basic hygiene. Next, your mental and emotional needs: time to connect with your partner, family and friends, and time for reflection and emotional processing. Finally, there’s what I like to think of as bonus care: occasional treats that give you an energy boost, such as a spa day or a night out. While those bonus self-care days are really great, they’re not all that effective at keeping your energy levels sustainable if you don’t meet your physical, mental and emotional needs first.
While I can’t stress enough that you need to create a self-care routine that works for you, here are some ideas to consider that I personally found improved my life during those first months of new parenthood.
shower daily New parents are notorious for forgetting personal hygiene, but for me, getting a shower was a great way to reset my body and mind — even if I couldn’t manage to get one in until late afternoon. Even if the baby won’t stop crying, lay them in a safe place, and allow yourself five to 10 minutes in the shower. They will be OK, and you will be able to come back to them with renewed energy.
