Wellbeing tips for you

Be kind to yourself! Parents always tend to put themselves at the bottom of the list. Treat yourself in the same way as you treat your friends and make time for yourself.

Looking after yourself (self-care) is not being selfish. Loving yourself is a good message to your children. Make time everyday for yourself and do something you enjoy.

I am feeling better physically as well as mentally just by making small changes. I really enjoy walking when the weather is dry.

I decided to stop using my car as much and walk everywhere, I started off with little walks and then increased my walks to two really long walks, and I doubled my daily steps so this made me feel happy that I actually achieved something.

Getting angry doesn’t help the situation. If you need to take five minutes in another room, do it! It helps me deal with the situation in a calm way.

Take each day on its own merits - don’t carry the bad days on to the next day or you make that day a bad one too! Especially important at this time when we have no respite!

My top tip would be if you really want to achieve something in life, or you want to change something that would make you happy, just think positive and look at the bigger picture and imagine the results in the end.

Every day may not be good but there is something good in every day.

With kids now back at school, a schedule is really important. Make sure to plan some together time too. Our family has a "special night" each week to look forward to together and the kids help decide how the time is used.

Turn chores into a game so they are done when the kid/s awake and you can put your feet up when they're asleep. Failing that - let them watch TV while you're doing the chores!

Find your tribe. It is hard at first when you realise friends and family are living a different reality so find the right tribe for you at this time. We all need community around us. You need to create your own family for you and your child(ren). That can be through sport, art, religion, business or single parent groups. Find the right people for you. If you can combat loneliness and isolation you can enjoy the journey and have strength with the struggles.

You don’t need to do it alone. It’s hard I know! So, I would definitely recommend if you have no close family or friends to reach out to try other places. There are remarkable organisations like OPFS which go above and beyond to support you every step of the way.

A top tip is to accept any help you get offered. No matter how scared or nervous or anxious you are, accept it. You will get better. You will feel better in yourself and you will see a difference in yourself when you are receiving help and support.