Most people believe that taking good care of their family means running themselves ragged and barely having any time to think about themselves at all, let alone taking the time to look after themselves. However, it’s time most people realized that living this kind of lifestyle is not healthy and can cause serious mental and physical health decline over time. How will you take care of your family then?

Taking care of your family means making an effort to take better care of yourself. Here’s how you can get started:

Get As Much Sleep As You Can

Sleep is crucial for physical and mental health. You might not always be able to get a full 8 hours when you’re caring for your family, especially with young kids, but do try to get as much sleep as you can. Feeling well rested will make all the difference. Here are some pointers:

• Wind down a few hours before bed so you fall asleep easier.
• Drink sleep tea and stay away from technology.
• Take technology out of the bedroom.
• Make sure you focus on getting quality sleep, not just quantity.
• Have a hot bath before bed.
• Use aromatherapy.
• Buy a good quality mattress, check out voila mattress review for some options.

If you have a young family, you are going to be sleep deprived sometimes. That’s to be expected. If you can nap during the day, this could help you to catch up on sleep and stop you from sleeping in on the weekend, which can further mess up your sleep pattern. You want to get into a routine with it, so you’re going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning.

Have Some Non Negotiable ‘You’ Time Each Day

You should have some you time each day, and it should be non negotiable. Even if it’s just 20 minutes to make yourself feel and look your best before the day begins, or to read a chapter of a good book, take it. Get into a good routine so you’re having it at the same time every day. If you don’t, it’ll be all too easy to make excuses on why you can’t do it one day, why you don’t have time, or you’ll tell yourself you’ll have it later and never end up getting around to it. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so this is just as beneficial to your family as it is to you.

If you’re getting so frazzled that you’re short on time and not spending any time for yourself, you can easily compromise your health. You won’t be able to think straight. You could end up in a road accident, either as a pedestrian, driver, or even with motorcycle injuries. You could forget to do something important, and miss important appointments. You really need to take this time to recharge your batteries and avoid hurting yourself.

Exercise and Eat Right

Prepare food on the weekend that you can quickly grab in the week so you don’t reach for food that makes you feel lethargic. Exercise will help you a lot too, even if you just stretch for a few minutes each morning!