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 SELF CARE FOR PARENTS

How to Thrive in Self Isolation

Meditation by the Sea

Breathe Deeply

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  • Learn to breathe slowly and deeply. Try counting to four as you inhale, then breathe out slowly for four. Repeat in rotations of four focusing on the breath. Feel the change of state. Any time you feel stressed go into this four pattern and focus on the breath.

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  • Listen to meditative music. Lie on the ground. Really tense the front of your legs for at least twenty seconds. Relax for twenty seconds. Repeat with the back of your legs, your abdomen, your glutes and back, your shoulders and arms, your face. Ensure you've stressed and relaxed all other sections of your body. Enjoy the feeling.

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  • Get up early and exercise on the beach, near a lake, in the bush and look at the beauty that surrounds you. If house bound do yoga at sunrise. Or an aerobic workout from Youtube. Make your health a priority.

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  • Make the decision every day to have a complaint free day. Aim to get to 21 days in a row. If you slip up, begin from Day 1 again. It will transform your life.

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Thriving in Isolation

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  • Practise breathing deeply. Relax. Meditate.

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  • Maintain a healthy schedule, exercising early

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  • Maintain quality interactions. Avoid conflict and complaining

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  • Learn: Knowledge is power

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  • Plan. Use your time well

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  • Create a cooperative project with those in your household

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  • Distract yourself if frustrated

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  • Recognize any negative stories you tell yourself, for the stories they are

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  • Congratulate yourself every time you do something consistent with your values.

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  • Show compassion to yourself and others

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Painting
Ready to Run

Maintain a Healthy Schedule

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  • When your feet first hit the floor consciously think about being grateful for the day. Really notice the sunrise, the sound of birds, the smell of coffee, etc

 

  • Get up, shower, dress and do your hair

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  • Make your bed, tidy up, eat breakfast

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  • Plan to achieve one thing each day: read a book, weed a garden, tidy out a drawer, etc

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  • Prepare healthy meals. You may be cooking more in lockdown, so the time savers section of this site may be useful for you

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  • Record your achievement in your diary. N.B. An achievement could be building your relationship with your kids by playing games with them all day, or spending half a day reading a book, or cooking a tasty dinner.

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talking on phones

Use your time well by creating positive habits

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  • Link a healthy habit to something you're already doing. e.g. every time you walk to the toilet do pelvic floor exercises on the way and congratulate yourself for looking after yourself.

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  • Do that creative project you've always wanted to (artwork, writing a book, a do it yourself home project, etc)

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  • Achieve something that will make a positive difference your life: Think. Create a plan. Do one thing each day towards it. Start small and build on your success

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  • Create a new health habit e.g. initiate keeping a bullet diary to ensure balance across all aspects of your life

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Graph on Computer

Learn All You Can: Knowledge is Power

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  • If you have tried and are unable to find work use the time for self-development. There are many, many online courses available for free.

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  • Research economic/job/share markets during past crises to help inform your course of action

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  • Within every crisis there is opportunity. Using your new found knowledge can you find one?

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  • Learn all you can about COVID 19 so you can make informed decisions for yourself and your family

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Maintain Quality Interactions

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  • Its not the number of interactions in your day, it's the quality of them that's important

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  • Maintain contact with upbeat people who help make you feel good about yourself and encourage you. Keep in contact with friends.

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  • Be a good listener and friend. Others may be going through a different, even tougher time than you.

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  • Be respectful and avoid conflict.

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  • If you have people living in self-isolation with you, working on a larger group project would give you a shared focus

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Funny active family of four young adult
Unboxing

Show Yourself and Others Kindness and Compassion

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  • Congratulate yourself every time you do something that is consistent with your value system. e.g. Reading a book every night to your children, playing a game with your kids, cooking a healthy meal, etc

 

  • Do something nice for someone, particularly if you know they're doing it tough

 

  • Send a card or thoughtful gift through the post telling someone what you admire about them

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  • Sit in a warm bath, listen to relaxing music and read a book

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  • Make the point of noticing and saying at least five positive things about everyone in your household every day, including about yourself

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  • Read Inspiring Books e.g. : The Hero Within, Seven Principles of Highly Effective People, Awaken the Giant Within, The Gifts of Imperfection, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, Tiny Habits, The Happiness Trap, etc

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If You're in a Funk, Distract Yourself

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  • Read the books you always wanted to

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  • Dance/listen to music and allow yourself to be immersed

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  • Watch a new series or a movie in a different genre to what you usually might

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  • Do a jig saw puzzle

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  • Recognize any negative stories you may tell yourself for what they are and not buy into them. Say I'm telling myself a story about... I'm a loser, I'm fat, Nobody cares about me, etc. Recognizing stories for what they are helps create objectivity.

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Girl with Flower

You may like to check out the Making Family Life Easy Tips. They're really useful:

Click on any of the 12 image links to learn more. I know this information could change your life because it changed mine:

Best Parenting Advice.com is a high quality parenting website designed with child and family success in mind. It highlights what successful parents do differently to those who struggle. Best Parenting advice.com provides free online resources for busy parents who want the best practical advice on: how to give kids a best start in life, better tips for parenting toddlers, effective child rearing strategies, behaviour management tips, successful goal setting and organizational strategies for successful families, easy family dinner recipes, self-care tips for time-poor parents and free kids learning games. The aim of Best Parenting Advice.com is to provide quality practical parenting tips and advice to best help children and families succeed, using the convenience of a website.

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This website provides examples of what worked for me over decades and you are welcome to use these ideas as you see fit but you do so at your own risk. Best Parenting Advice.com does not provide any guarantee that this information will work in every circumstance with every family or with every child. It is your responsibility as a user of this website to ensure that you adhere to any recommended safety suggestions either implicit or explicit on this site and supervise your children while playing any games suggested. Similarly users of this website are advised to follow any recommendations for seeking professional advice as all information on this site is generic. Best Parenting Advice.com is an independent website and is not affiliated with any other groups, clubs, religious organizations or educational systems.

 

Best parenting takes time. The best parenting advice ever is simple: Do your best, don't give up and love your children, no matter what.

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