Plan your Day
When one is facing tough times of any sort, unstructured time can be overwhelming. Something that helps with this is to break down the day into chunks, or a schedule.
Our day is natually broken into thirds, with our meals. Other than that, it is helpful to think about your other priorities first.
If you have children that you care for at home, your schedule is already pretty full with their needs.
So, once your high priority caretaking needs are in your schedule, then you can fill in your self-care.
With a two-year-old my schedule may look something like this:
8 AM: Wake, breakfast, quiet time
9AM: Get dressed
10 AM: Outdoor activity (zoo, park, backyard)
Noon: Lunch
1 PM: Nap time (For mom and child)
2 PM: Housework
3 PM: Wake from nap and screen time
4 PM: Second outing (errands, library, etc.)
5 PM: Dinner prep
6 PM: Dinner and family time
7 PM: Reading/music time
8PM: Bedtime for J
9PM: Exercise for me (run, yoga, soccer)
10PM: Lights out
Now this is just an example. It works for me sometimes. Other days, I say to heck with the schedule and we can be more spontaneous. But on the whole, a schedule helps during tough times.
Hope this helps!
