Confidence… When you’re so busy being a parent, do you find that you are the least important thing, and everybody else, not just children, partners, relatives, or maybe work, takes priority?
So, I might not be a mum, but with the amount of kids in my life and friends with kids, I see it all! When we spend so long focusing on everyone else, making our house a home, and keeping on top of everything, we might look in the mirror one day and not recognize the person staring back at us.
We’ve changed so much that it is frightening. And when we lose sight of who we are, either inside or outside, this naturally impacts our confidence.
Being a parent can knock your confidence somewhat, even though you’ve got a little person who looks to you for everything; when you’re so caught up in this world, it leaves little room for anything else.
But when our children get old enough that they are self-sufficient, we can find making that transition back to so-called “real” life very difficult. So what can we do to help nurture our confidence when we’ve been a parent too long?
That All-Important Time To Yourself
You might think this is almost impossible, but we all need to be ourselves. We can realize that we’ve become, for want of a better word, boring. Conversations tend to revolve around those subjects when we are inundated with diapers, meals to cook, and things to clean.
And you realize, just as soon as you manage to get out of the house and spend time with friends, this More Confidence When We’ve Been A Parent Too Long is all you have to discuss.
We can all be fed up with talking about these mundane tasks, but we have nothing else to discuss.
As a result, if you’re speaking with friends with no children or any of these duties in life, you might feel a little out of the loop.
This is why it’s essential to have some time to yourself, not just to hang out with your friends but also to pursue things that aren’t just for the sake of your family. When we feel emotionally dry or have no inspiration, we’ve got to have some hobby that helps replenish our mental stores.
We’ve got to do things that make us feel good. Because if we look back and see that we’ve spent months and years looking after the house and not doing anything purely for us, it’s time to make that change.
It doesn’t have to be anything epic, and you can take an hour once a week and do the things that are for you. And even if you’re tired, you will be surprised how much this restores your energy.
Making Yourself Look Good, So You Feel Good
We can save up for expensive beauty products over a year, which could be our indulgence. But if the years of parenting have taken their toll, and you are just plain unhappy with how much you’ve aged, you could quickly approach facelift surgeons for a procedure to reinvigorate your face.
After all, if you look good, you feel good. And if this isn’t your cup of tea, there are simple ways to replenish the skin.
A spa day, as simple as it may be, offers benefits beyond skin deep. It has the power to bring a sense of calm. Amid our busy lives, a day in the Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, and beauty treatments can leave you feeling so relaxed that you’ll practically float home.
“Sometimes, we underestimate our stress levels until we take a moment to relax. Once we experience that feeling, we’re eager to recreate it as often as possible because it enhances our overall well-being and performance.
Taking The Time To Practice Being Confident
As soon as the kids wake up, we go until they go to bed at night. This feeling of going a mile a minute isn’t good for anyone, especially when you want a coffee to ease you into the day.
And when we are depriving ourselves of the things that make us feel good too, it can go one of two ways: we can develop some sense of resilience or buckle under the pressure.
Life often presents us with both ups and downs. When we lose confidence in our abilities as parents and individuals, we must swiftly improve our self-worth. If time is scarce, you have to make time.
“You don’t need to dedicate three hours every night. It’s about adopting the small practices performers and athletes use to boost their self-belief.”
It can feel silly talking into a mirror, but positive self-talk isn’t a ridiculous approach, not when you realize there is science behind it.
Because our brains cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined, when we engage in positive self-talk, our brains accept this as the norm after a while. But it depends on what your own perceived idea of confidence is.
Maybe you want to relax, in which case, some basic breathing exercises will help you bring in more oxygen and reduce CO2.
Or maybe you need more energy, so doing a little bit of exercise before everybody else gets up can destress you and increase your power for the day.
Whatever makes you feel good about yourself, you need to practice this. We all lose confidence now and again, so building that muscle back up regularly is vital.
As rewarding as a parent is, we must remember to care for ourselves. How can we provide the best for our children if we neglect our well-being?
“If we’ve been parents for an extended period, we might lose sight of what makes us unique. That’s why it’s crucial to practice small things that recharge us.
