Carving out “me time” in general can be a difficult thing, try doing so once you become a parent and it gets a lot trickier. Finding the time to do something for yourself and taking care of your needs for a change shouldn’t be considered selfish or lead to feelings of guilt. Instead, it should be considered healthy and necessary.

Below you’ll find some ideas to help you carve out “me time” even when you have a hectic schedule.

Carving Out Me Time When You Are a Parent

Carving Out Me Time When You Are a Parent

  • Start the day before the kids wake up: Yes, set that alarm clock to wake you up before the kids. Even an extra 30 minutes before the kids’ usual wake up time can help. Use the quiet time to exercise, read e-mails or drink your morning cup of coffee uninterrupted.
  • Get an evening off per week: Take turns with your partner each week to get one night off when you can leave the house to do something for yourself. It could be a fun fitness class, going for a hike, going to work at a coffee shop, meeting friends, etc. If you are a single parent, you can ask a friend to babysit or hire a babysitter.
  • Find a new hobby: Look for something new to learn or spend time pursuing a new hobby. I find the evenings, once the kids are in bed are the perfect time to do so, working on a hobby instead of doing chores or following the routine is an excellent way to get some space and refresh.
  • Exercise: Exercising is a great way to take care of your body and your soul at the same time. I often run on the treadmill while watching Netflix; I love that I can do it from my phone or iPad and catch up on my favourite series while I work out, all on my own schedule.
  • Introduce quiet reading time: Something that we started doing with the boys after they stopped taking naps in the afternoons was quiet reading time. We all take an hour break after lunch and grab a book and read quietly. I love that I can also read a book myself during this period and enjoy some quiet time.

How do you find “me time” during the day?

Disclosure: This is a partnered post with Netflix. However, all opinions and views on this post are 100% my own.