Self Care Tip

Nourishing the five senses—an easy self-care kit: 

Oftentimes busy parents find the concept of self-care daunting—it can feel like just one more thing to add into an already overly full schedule. One idea that works for some people is to create a small portable kit that has one nourishing item for each of the five senses. Throw in a scent that helps calm and ground you, a postcard or photo that brings you peace or joy, a reminder of something you like to listen to (perhaps a favorite song or sound that you can play from a phone), something pleasurable to taste, and something soothing to touch (this can be a small piece of fabric, or a smooth stone.) This little kit is there for you anytime you need to ground, center, and connect with the things that bring you pleasure.

Remember—self-care is not just a set of behaviors or actions, it is an attitude or state of mind where you openly and willingly connect to your own well-being, and see this well-being as essential to you and your family’s life. 

What to Read

Though he has written many books since this early one, Daniel Siegal’s Parenting from the Inside Out is an incredible book that really helps people think about the kind of parenting that they want to offer to their children, and the ways in which their own experiences in childhood shape the parents that they are today.  It is not always the specific decisions that we make that matter most, but the thought that we put into them before making them.  This book will help guide you through a process of understanding how your own childhood might be influencing the ways that you are parenting your kids.