By Amber Nunaley, MSW, LCSW – July 11, 2025 –

Let’s get straight to the point. Being a parent is hard. Parenting can mean poor sleep, burnout, and lots of stress. It often requires putting all your needs aside to make sure your child succeeds in life. It is not an easy task, and it really does take a village to raise a child.  

After the kids go to bed, you finally have time to unwind. What do you do? Read a book, watch a TV series, or go to sleep? When do you take time out of the busy family schedule to do something for yourself? I think most parents and caregivers would say there is not enough time in the day.

However, pouring from an empty cup is not helpful to anyone, especially your children. Let’s talk about some ways that you can practice self-care so you can better manage stress, become more present with your children, and overall feel better.

With soccer, ballet, football, band, and many other extracurricular activities available to kids, there’s a laundry list of practices, games, recitals, etc. to accompany each commitment. Most families these days have a jam-packed monthly schedule that includes sports, after-school activities, doctors’ appointments, birthday parties, and many other important things. However, parents can use a busy schedule to your advantage. Let’s look at how you can take time each day to practice self-care.

While your child is at soccer practice, for example, you could sit in the car or next to the field and listen to your favorite audiobook. Instead of having the kids take the dog out for a walk, you could volunteer to do it. Enjoy the fresh air and get some extra steps into your day. Just fitting as little as 10 minutes into your schedule to take some time out for yourself can make a big difference.

Have you ever thought about pursuing a new hobby? Remember that gift card you got for a free session at the local pottery shop? Cash that in and learn something new. Learning a new hobby doesn’t have to be just for you. It could be a family activity such as gardening. Teach the kids how to grow their own fruits and vegetables. This is also considered self-care, because as you enjoy teaching your kids something new, you are spending time together as a family. The benefits of sitting down once a day to eat a meal together or once a week to watch a movie together help families bond and parents feel fulfilled by special moments together.

As parents, we are role models for our children, which means that we must set a good example for them. If we can show our kids that we practice self-care and take time away from the hustle and bustle of life to take care of ourselves, hopefully they will follow in our footsteps and practice self-care as they grow into healthy adults.