Looking after our mental health in times of stress
Fussy eating and feeding challenges can cause a lot of stress for caregivers. Our mental health is important and supporting it directly impacts feeding and mealtimes.
I don’t know about you but the things we are supposed to do daily (meditate, journal, daily walks, yoga, stretching, etc) are often the hardest things to find the energy/motivation/time to do them. We know they are good for us and that they are so important, yet they are often pushed to the side, with other tasks such as TV, Netflix, and scrolling on social media taking priority.
I have recently finished reading two amazing books (highly recommended both), ‘Atomic Habits’, and ‘The Compound Effect’. Both talk about the power of our habits within the little things we do every day and the importance of doing lots of good little things every day. For caregivers who are busy running around after tamariki, it can feel as though you have very little if any time for yourself. I encourage you to find time, be that 5 minutes in the morning, 5 minutes in the evening to do something (meditate, journal, walk outside, do yoga, stretching) that you know you should really be doing.
But how do we find the time!
Both books talked about the concept of habit stacking, which I feel and have proven in my own life to be highly effective. Habit stacking is a way of adding small habits and changes to your current routine. If in your morning routine you make a cup of coffee or boil the jug for a cup of tea in the morning, while you are waiting for the jug to boil, spend that time doing some stretches (yes in the middle of your kitchen), or taking that time to meditate, only a few minutes while the jug is boiling.
By make a good habit attractive and easy, we are more likely to do it and to fit it into our lives. When a habit is too difficult or complicated to initiate, we are less likely to do it. Our brain will find the easiest and simplest way of doing things so we need to help it by making the habits as easy and simple as possible.
These small habits and changes add up over time and eventually become automatic, without thought. Highly powerful stuff.
What is the habit you would like to add to your daily routine?
Rebecca Barnard