Welcome, Katie! She will be contributing to our articles on an important topic, self-care for parents.
Self-care is a very buzzy word these days. It’s used loosely and is often thought of as a luxury, pampering or even selfish. The thing is self-care is none of those things. The act of caring for oneself is ESSENTIAL to our wellbeing, our health and our survival. I define self-care as an intentional act of doing something that makes us feel good.
There is no one-size-fits-all. There is no list I can give that everyone will find value in. Self-care is generally a very individualized, personal process. It is a way of life, not a luxury you splurge on now and then. It doesn’t have to cost a penny or even take much time.
One thing that is very often overlooked as self-care and is one exception to the personalized rule, is sleep. I very much consider good sleep to be an essential part of our self-care routine.
Our bodies are designed to rest, especially in these colder darker months where we tend to retreat a little more. Instead of tuning in, and listening, we show resistance. In a world that defines success as being highly productive, pushing yourself to your limit, doing things on your own and as quickly as possible, sleep is something that has become an afterthought. Undervalued and underutilized.
We seem to have forgotten that without sleep our bodies start to slow down, our productivity actually decreases and our stress greatly increases.
Without sleep we are not giving ourselves time for rest, to replenish, repair and renourish. Without these things, we can not possibly be our best selves.
Making sleep a top priority, setting boundaries and routines that set a positive environment for good quality, restorative sleep is one of the best forms of self care a person can give to themselves.
Without sleep, we become grumpy, more miserable, short-tempered human beings. We have difficulties focusing and remembering what we are supposed to be doing. We decrease our body’s ability to fight off infection. We don’t allow for healing (physically, mentally or emotionally). We don’t allow for cleansing and detoxing (physically, mentally and emotionally) We don’t allow for refuelling and rebuilding of our essential hormones that give us balance and the ability to find peace, remain calm and find resilience in difficult situations (hello parenting!) We don’t allow for blood sugar levels to stabilize and commonly struggle with our weight.
So if I told you that you could:
- Be more productive
- Find more energy
- Have more patience and happiness
- Lower your stress
- Strengthen your immune system
- Stabilize your weight
- Be a better person and parent
- Have more time in your day
All by doing one small thing, would you do it? Because you can have these things.
Making sleep a top priority, setting boundaries and routines that set a positive environment for good quality, restorative sleep is one of the best forms of self-care a person can give to themselves. We make sleep a priority for our children as we see clearly how sleep is a very positive way to care for the self in them. But we fail to see our own self-worth and the positive effects it can have on ourselves and in turn our families.
Imagine…how much different you would be as a parent if you were well-rested, your energy was increased, your patience much longer and your ability to remain present in each situation much stronger.
Life-changing.
Sometimes productivity doesn’t look like doing more but doing less. Often when we learn to move from habitual living to intentional living, we see that taking a step back, setting firm boundaries and putting ourselves first actually results in better productivity and a much happier, more satisfying life. I promise the world does not stop because of it.
So go set your timers. Make sleep your priority today so that tomorrow you can start new and move forward on your journey to a happier self.
Bridget Jensen is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, Conestoga College and is the Canadian Director of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants. Bridget’s calm and supportive demeanor are beneficial while working with families, individuals and workplaces all over Canada and beyond. She is dedicated to helping people get the rest they need, so they can feel at their best during the day. She is founder of Better Bedtime, a full-service sleep consultancy based in Waterloo Region. Services range from one-on-one programs for infants, children and adults to sleep sessions for the workplace.
