3 Simple Self-Care Strategies for Parents With Packed Schedules

An average busy parent with a packed schedule tends to use up more than 98 hours a week to balance their job and their responsibilities for their family, leaving most moms and dads with little time to focus on their self-care strategies.

Modern parents, who have a career and raise their kids simultaneously, take only an average of 20 minutes a day to themselves, thus exposing themselves to parental burnout. A study from the Harvard Business Review has shown that any burnout can lead not just to physical exhaustion and weariness; it may also trigger feelings of loneliness.

Thus, moms and dads need to make an effort to have more time for themselves. Here are some simple self-care strategies for parents with busy schedules.

Two minutes of self-care: Laugh at the silly dog or cat videos online.

It has been said that laughter is the best medicine, and there is actual science to prove that it can relieve short- and long-term stress, per the Mayo Clinic. This might explain why those silly dog or cat videos are quite popular on the internet because they provide such stress relief.

Read Also: 5 Mom Hacks to Try When You're Pressed for Time 

So, more than once a day or when things have been heavy and toxic, moms and dads shouldn't feel guilty taking out their phones to indulge in a two-minute dog or cat video or meme that can tickle the funny bones. This short activity may release endorphins that can improve the body's stress response. Laughing may also help with muscle relaxation, stimulate circulation, and lower the heart rate and blood pressure.

10 minutes of self-care: Amplify your shower routine.

Most parents are guilty of cutting back their shower time when they should be amping up and taking an extra 10 minutes to include exfoliation or deep hair conditioning in their routine. One mom pointed out via Women's Day that a long shower isn't self-care but basic personal hygiene. This means it should be done regularly and not be something parents have to "find time for."

But long showers allow parents to start small with their self-care strategies because they eventually deserve more than 10 minutes of pampering time at a spa or massage facility. An extended shower time also gives parents breathing space and privacy to keep their sanity intact and be ready to tackle the day's activities.

30 minutes of self-care: Go green or blue!

Countless studies have concluded that spending time around nature can boost a person's mental state. But if parents do not have many opportunities to go to the park, they can bring the green space indoors by setting up many plants in their home or office. They can take their coffee breaks surrounded by these indoor plants and then play some mood-lightening music for an even bigger soothing effect.

For the weekends, a short trip to the lake or ocean, if there's one where they live, may be a good idea. Blue spaces produce a relaxation effect or inner calm that dials down the parents' risk of depression.

Related Article: Parental Burnout: Identifying the Archetypes of Parenting Fog and How to Snap Out of It