Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what is truly nourishing to me, and in turn asking others what nourishes them. Moments of true nourishment seem hard to find as a parent, so when they do occur, I relish them. I find I want them even more, which started me thinking about little ways to nourish myself in a busy, hectic day. For example, having a cup of tea mid-afternoon, or taking a lavender bubble bath in the candlelight in the evening. As I further explored nourishment in my life, I found that coloring while my son colors is a small piece of nourishment too. I also found that asking my husband what nourishes him was a fun date day conversation.
Because I am a therapist for children and young teens, parents are most often waiting for their child outside my door. Knowing how hard it is to sneak in time for nourishment, I love offering these parents a cup of tea to sip on while they wait. Parenting is a full-on job, and if I can support a snippet of self-care while they wait, I want to do that. This calls to mind something I have heard repeatedly, and also have experienced to be true for myself, that unless we, as parents, are taking care of and nourishing ourselves, we simply can’t be as present to our children as they need us to be. While we may want to make being present to our children a priority, we might find it challenging to do in our busy, over scheduled world.
If you are trying to figure out how to take more time for yourself, you can start small. Focus on what nourishes you by starting with a simple list of 5-10 small things you find nourishing. Share it with others and begin to ask friends and family to share what they find nourishing. This can be a unique way to connect with others. Then try to incorporate one new item from your list each week, or even each month if that seems more feasible to you.
In this busy holiday season, the idea of doing this may seem impossible. Perhaps you are feeling consumed by your child’s personal struggles. Perhaps you are finding that you need some support to support your child better. Please outreach me to learn about the services I provide to families through parenting sessions and individual sessions for your child or young teen.