Self-Care Tips for Families Over the Holidays

The holidays can cause added stress for parents and families as a whole. Try these self-care tips.

• 2 min read
• health & wellness

The holidays are full of special moments for families, but they can also come with heightened stress. With so much to be planned and coordinated, many parents find themselves feeling like they have a never-ending to-do list. For co-parents, the holidays may also come with an altered custody schedule, making an already hectic time of year more complicated.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed this holiday season, remember to practice self-care

This is not only a reminder for parents, but for children as well. If you’re feeling stressed, your kids are probably experiencing this feeling too. Here are 4 tips to help your family reduce stress and focus on self-care over the holidays:

• Prioritize. With dozens of things going on during the holidays, it’s beneficial for family units to sit down and discuss priorities. Talk to your children about what events are important to them and think about what’s important to you as well. Once you have this information laid out, your family can plan accordingly. This reduces the stress of having too many obligations and helps everyone make time for the activities and events they love the most.
• Pause. It’s important for parents to make time for peace and quiet throughout the year, but especially when everyone is together during the holidays. This can also be beneficial for the entire family. Taking time to unplug and unwind together can help improve everyone’s state of mind.
• Laugh. It may sound silly, but laughter has many positive health benefits. Some of the short-term effects include soothing tension and activating and relieving your stress response. Find reasons to laugh with your kids over the holidays and encourage them to embrace it!
• Reflect. Gratitude is a proven stress-reliever. You and your kids should take time to think about what you’re grateful for and then discuss with each other. Practicing gratitude not only helps with self-care, but also serves as an important lesson.

All family members should take time to focus on their psychological state over the holidays

Everyone in your family unit can benefit from these techniques. If you’re in a joint custody situation and your child is spending time with your co-parent over the holidays, it’s important to discuss these items if your relationship allows. This helps create consistency for your child in both homes.

If some of your holiday stress is related to sharing custody over the holidays, consider using a co-parenting app, like TalkingParents. Our Shared Calendar can help you and your co-parent coordinate holiday custody schedules and events.

In addition to messaging and phone calls, we also offer Video Calling. This allows you and your co-parent to video chat with your child during special moments that may take place over the holidays. If a co-parenting app might be able to assist you with self-care, consider joining TalkingParents today.