Some days your body wears out, you get run down, and then you’re sick. Maybe it’s a stomach virus, the flu, an upper respiratory illness…it doesn’t matter WHAT the illness is, just THAT it is. In order to recover, we make changes to our schedule. We grab an extra hour of sleep if possible. We don’t attend the committee meeting. Maybe we nap in the afternoon. OK, that one could be a stretch, but I hope you get the point…when our bodies are physically ill, we make changes in our routine to help our bodies recover.
But what about the times we’re emotionally ill? Should we ignore it and pretend things are fine?
If you’ve been a stepparent for long, then you have probably experienced the emotional illness known as “TOS”. Those days when you are exhausted and
Tired Of Stepparenting.
You’d like to take a pass, leave the house, have someone else deal with the stepkids while you do something. While you do anything other than the normal. You know what I’m referring to. The routine, the mundane parenting tasks, and the responsibilities you assume when you’re not the parent. And often, with few rights.
The continuous energy required to do the right thing (after all, you are the adult!) with little or no appreciation can be draining, to say the least.
If you’re suffering from “TOS”, maybe it’s time to MAKE time for self-care.
Simple things like go for a walk. Or put all your gadgets on airplane mode for 15 minutes and take a short break and sit still. Have lunch with a friend. Make time for a massage. If affordable, plan a getaway with your spouse.
The goal is to take a break from your regular routine and do something nice for yourself.
Assuming the role of a stepparent is no easy task. It can be a demanding role and you aren’t even the star of the show. As stepparents, we need to decide when it’s time to take a break from the routine. We have to learn to recognize when our emotional tank is running low and schedule a time, a place, and a method for refilling it. We can then continue the stepparenting journey in a healthy manner. For us AND our stepchildren.
Do you need a break? Do you need a weekend away from the routine?
Take it! As a stepparent, you deserve it.
Do you have any ideas for filling your emotional tank? Please share them in the comments,
