I have had a rough couple of days. Between nap skipping, toddler screeching, twin fighting, and baby teething, I’ve had a few moments where I thought I was going to lose my mind and some moments where I actually did. I don’t have an answer for how to end the tantrums. I’m still working on that too 😂. But I can offer some insight on how to take care of yourself through it. Here are a couple of things that have helped me maintain my sanity.
- Breathe: For the obvious reasons. It helps calm your body down etc. But I’ve found nothing is scarier to my children than when I close my eyes and take a deep breath. They seem to know that I’ve reached the end of my tether, and they’ll often immediately just stop and watch me. This gives me an opportunity to redirect them.
- Alone Time: Whether this is girl time, date time, or simply solitude, make sure you have some time away from your children. I find the most important part for me is to be away from the noise and clutter and mess. I just need an hour or two without screaming and stickiness and stuff.
- Music: Putting on soothing or inspiring music, always grounds me. When I’m feeling too overwhelmed to focus, this immediately helps me organize my thoughts and prioritize needs.
- Hunger and thirst cues: Are you angry, or are you actually just starving? Make sure you’ve eaten and had water. Some days I seem to only have time for snacks. I’ll put a movie on for the kids and sit down and eat a real meal and get in lots of water. I get head aches when I’m dehydrated, and it just makes me feel worse.
- Get out of the house: Set up a play date, lunch date, park date. Take them to daycare at the gym. I’ve found that the more often we get out, the less cooped up we feel, and the better everyone does.
Let me know some things that have worked for you in the comments 🙂.
Jacqueline Pinchuk 