It’s something parents hear so often: You can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself. “You always want to make sure you’re being your best for your kids: We so often think that taking care of them first is the way to do that, but in reality taking care of yourself first is how we accomplish being good parents and the fullest version of yourself,” says Lasan.
This is so much easier said than done. (“Life and time happens. The world is constantly coming at you,” says Lasan.) And having others hold you accountable for taking care of your needs is a way to make this more do-able.
“You know that you’re not alone. You know that you can tap into the resources of those around you. As parents we get caught up in the idea of no one gets it, I’m all alone in this. I’m just so overwhelmed and not able to take care of myself. But if you have people around who know what you should be doing, they can help refocus you,” she says. “This will ultimately help your family: living in your joy helps everyone around you.”
This will help in more ways than one: “It also just creates a built-in crew that you can ask for support when you need it,” she says, noting that a big problem is that people don’t know where to turn in times of need. But if you already have a community in your corner, you know exactly where to go.
Not only that, but your support group can not only help you focus on yourself, but they can encourage you to reach for your professional goals—even those that you may have been putting off lately. “This is so important because kids need to see their parents finding their purpose. This will show them, I can do this too. They learn their dreams aren’t limited, so you’re teaching them in these moments, and still being a great parent,” she says. “Not to mention, you have no idea where your personal goals will take you and your family. You are helping no one by putting it on the back burner.”
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