Being a parent is hard work, especially when you have younger children who really depend on you.
And it is completely okay to want to and actually take a break now and then. This week has been brutal.
Papa Fox deployed. The weather had been horrible the last few weeks and our boys have cabin fever. I kept up our regular activities - moms group, taekwondo class twice a week, running simple errands - in the hope that keeping things normal would help us get into a good routine from the start of this deployment. It didn't work out very well.
The kidlets miss their Daddy and are antsy from a lack of physical activity. I'm stressed and lonely. The house has become overwhelmingly messy because I didn't have the energy to keep up with the basics. I felt myself getting into a funk that would overtake me if I let it.
So today I declared a "mental health day". But it isn't just a lazy day. I got up this morning and worked out for the first time in weeks. It felt fantastic. I took a long shower and got dressed. Then I started to clean. I don't expect to get the entire house clean today, just the bedrooms and the kitchen but that will be enough to keep me motivated to finish the rest tomorrow.
What's even better is today after lunch, my 2 year old put himself down for a nap. He has been fighting naps bad lately to the point I gave up even though he still needs a break during the day. Knowing that he will wake up in a great mood in a couple hours really helps.
When someone says mental health day you picture lazying around on the couch doing nothing but that's not what I do. This is what I do to break up the stress of those lazy days. It gives me a refreshing new start and allows me to push on through life. Sometimes you need to take a breather and focus on what
you need. And that is what my day is dedicated to.
Do you take mental health days from time to time? What is your prefect "day off" like?
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Comments (3)
Every few weeks my father comes and picks up my son on Friday afternoon when he gets off of work. He takes him to McD's and then they go to PawPaw's for the night. It give me four or five hours of ME time and then my fiance comes home and we have an evening to ourselves. It is wonderful and I rely on it to keep my sanity. My son rocks but being a mom 24/7 is hard and taking a break from time to time is perfectly, wonderfully normal.
When the kids are in school.
I'm beyond your age group but widowed and living alone has its own ups and downs, so yes, I do keep tabs on my attitude and feelings. When it's time for a break, it's time, no matter what age or the circumstances. I think being a Libra helps -- I always gravitate toward balance.