“Never let the urgent crowd out the important.” ~ Kelly Catlin Walker.
Families that play together, stay together.
It is easy to get lost in the responsibilities of family life and forget self-care and play time. Here are four levels of family care to consider:
1. Self-care: Time for you to play and relax on your own, or with friends or people outside your home life.
2. Partner-Care: Time for your partner to play and relax on his own, or spend time with people outside the home.
Action step: Make a list of things you would love to do for yourself and then share this list with each other. Discuss how to support one another to experience self-care regularly (ie, prioritizing, scheduling, sharing duties, asking for help etc).
3. Relationship-Care: Time for a date, something fun, relaxing and romantic away from home.
Action step: Share ways you’d like to spend quality time with each other, and what support structures (ie babysitting, extended family support) will help make this possible.
4. Family-Care: Time for the family as a whole to do something fun, creative and bonding.
Action step: With your family, make a list of fun things to do and post it on your fridge for all to see.
Schedule: Book these events into your calendar and make remembering to play and the four levels of family-care an ongoing priority.
Have a Playful Monday!