Family…the people you love the most and the people that drive you crazy the quickest.

These days we are (hopefully) all staying home as much as possible. It’s easy to get frustrated with the people you love. Caretaking can be draining, especially if you are suddenly finding yourself at home with your kids when you’ve been used to them going to school or daycare every day.

Right now it’s important we look for ways to create space for ourselves, to take a minute to take a breath and find some moments for ourselves. While we all would love to find space on a beach or a spa or someplace like that, it doesn’t really have to be anything fancy. If you’ve been in my groups, you may have heard me talk about one of my favorite places to do this: my driveway. When I need a minute to refresh, re-center, and take a breath, I go outside and stand in my driveway. I take deep breaths, look at the stars, and say a little prayer of gratitude…. Just a minute or two and I’m re-energized.

Caretakers are especially under stress. If we let the tension build, we may end up saying or doing something we don’t mean and hurting others in the process. Even if your kids are babies, make sure they are somewhere safe, and take a minute to create space. The shower, your backyard, even just going into the other room – finding space where we can take a minute to relax and re-energize is an important part of taking care of ourselves.

The staff at the Family Center is here for you through this time, and always via text, phone and email….

Amy Cooper, MS
Family Coach, The Family Center