10 Ways to Nurture Yourself and Your Child
There are many ways that you can nurture your child AND it’s also important to nurture yourself too! As a caregiver, it is important to be nurtured to not only feel good about yourself as you care for your little one’s needs everyday but to also give you the energy needed to show up and be present.
When you nurture yourself in small and big ways you are filling your own emotional cup, which is so important so that you can take care of your child’s physical and emotional needs. When a caregiver’s emotional cup is filled, they are likely to feel less drained and less burnt out.
Signs of a caregiver whose emotional cup needs some nurturing can look like physical exhaustion, moodiness, feeling less connected to your child and doubting your parental abilities. When these feelings start to show up, it’s a good time to check in and look for ways you can nurture yourself, your child and make sure your emotional cup isn’t running to low.
It’s just not possible to draw from an empty well or to drink from an empty cup. Therefore, filling your cup, caring for your needs, even if it can only happen in small ways, is so important to do.
The same goes for your child too! If life is too fast, too full, and there’s too much to do and too many places to go to, you might find that your child will be emotionally drained, moody, having melt downs as well as other unwanted behaviors.
10 ways to nurture your child and yourself:
- Start each day with words of gratitude
- Be consistent with daily routines
- Try to limit stress and simplify life when possible
- Believe that you are a good parent and give yourself daily affirmations
- Believe in your child’s goodness and tell them often
- Be generous with your compassion and understanding
- Get outside and spend time in nature
- Give a lot of hugs!
- Say “I love you” to your child and yourself as often as you can
- Laugh! Find daily opportunities for laughter and fun.
Nurturing can happen in many ways. Remember that our child’s behavior and our behavior give us signs, if we choose to listen, telling us when our emotional cup needs to be refreshed, restored, renewed.
