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 mom, but with the amount of kids in my life and friends with kids, I see it all! When we spend so much time focussing on everyone else, making our house a home, and managing everything, we may one day look in the mirror and fail to recognise 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 transitioning 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 realise that we’ve become, for want of a better word, boring. Conversations tend to revolve around those subjects when we are inundated with nappies, meals to cook, and things to clean.
And you realise, 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.
Therefore, when conversing with friends who don’t have children or other responsibilities, you may feel a bit disconnected. 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. If this isn’t your preference, there are straightforward methods to rejuvenate your 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 constant pace can be exhausting, particularly when you crave a cup of coffee to start the day.
When we deprive ourselves of the things that make us feel good, we can either develop resilience or succumb to the pressure.
Life frequently brings us both positive and negative experiences. 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 opportunity.
“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 realise 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.
