FAMILY MENTAL WELLNESS
Ways for Parents to Boost Well-being
BY MICHAEL DICKERSON
Earning more money. Going back to school. Starting a new career or business. Traveling, volunteering or exercising more. Regardless of your specific goals for 2022, a new year is a fine time to reevaluate priorities and reconnect with your aspirations. Although this is necessary for personal growth, sometimes we aim a little too high. Then, we inevitably lose steam and wind up in the same rut all over again. This is especially true for busy parents, whose lives revolve around raising kids. Starting a new exercise program is already daunting enough, but when you drive your daughter to and from soccer practice four nights a week, it becomes nearly impossible. The everyday grind takes a toll on our mental health, leaving many parents running on fumes. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, all people have a desire for personal growth, but to achieve it, our basic needs must be met first. When we flourish as people, we flourish as parents. If our kids see us engaging in healthy, energizing activities, they’ll follow our lead. But how do we juggle it all? Start with these three tips! Form better habits. Goals are one component of personal growth, but they aren’t everything. In the book Atomic Habits , James Clear writes: “The quality of our lives often depends on our habits. With the same habits, you’ll end up with same results. But with better habits, anything is possible.” Forming better habits enables you to improve the areas of your life where you’re lacking. At the beginning of last year, I set a goal to exercise more and become healthier. I knew going to the gym was a struggle … but why? After some thought, I realized it was partially because I hated stumbling around to find my gym clothes early in the morning.
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After reading Atomic Habits , I began laying out my gym clothes before bed every night so I could wake up and leave for the gym in 10 minutes flat! Now, I do it without even thinking about it. Why? Because it’s become a habit — and now going to the gym is part of my lifestyle. Our small habits help us reach our big, long-term goals. Think about the specific small habits that can help you make your big 2022 goals a reality. Once you’ve mastered a few small habits, get your kids involved. As an added bonus: When they form better habits, you’ll have less on your plate at home!
12 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JAN-FEB 2022
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