Incorporating self-compassion is a way to improve parental skills!
Parenting is on one hand the most soothing and on the other hand the most cautious job in the world. This duality increases manifolds for the new parents. Taking care of children for the first time is bound to be overwhelming for most of the new parents. Coming out of the safe environment of the hospital and diving right into looking after a child is a tough task.
Need Of Self-Compassion For New Parents
Nobody is perfect, and it's valid to make mistakes while raising a child. But many of the parents weigh themselves with negative thoughts when things don't go their way. One thing that may give relief to their tough life is self-compassion. Self-compassion can be defined as an act of soothing oneself when things don't go right. Accepting that to err is human. In this article we are going to talk about 5 ways to incorporate self-compassion in new parents.
Identify The Stumbling Blocks
Identifying the reasons which are causing problems in the child-care routine. The outburst can be a concern, the self-pity after the child fails to solve a maths question can be the problem, frustration when the child doesn't abide by house rules can be the problem. Identify them first, otherwise how can you solve those?
Do Not Be Too Hard On Yourself
Self-criticism is one of the best ways to improve as a human being. But being too harsh on yourself can affect your parenting duty too. You can become demotivated and your child might feel the consequence. Exercise self-compassion. Think that making mistakes is a basic thing, try to lessen it but don't get over indulged with it. You are doing other positive things too!
Acknowledge That Parenting Is A Tough Job
Parenting is actually a hard job. Feeding, changing diapers, bathing etc. takes a lot of dedication and time. Taking care of the child's health while looking after other house chores can become very difficult. Hence, acknowledge the difficulty of it and always remember that you are doing enough.
Do Positive Things For Yourself Too
Look after your needs too. Being a parent doesn't mean being selfless and accepting only the hardships. Acknowledge your own struggles. Give yourself a tap on the back when you are completing some duties with flying colours. Eat your favourite food, go to your favourite parlour. You deserve happiness too.
Take Parenting As A Learning Curve In Life
You are a first time parent. You know absolutely nothing at the start. Child-care is going to be an important experience in your life. Relish it! You are going to learn many new things, accept the mistakes and try to rectify them the next time. If you can not rectify it the very next time, don't be discouraged. Try again until you make it right. Enjoy the experience, live in the present!
