Looking after yourself is important no matter who you are. But, one of the groups that we have noticed take less time doing this than others is dads. Dads don’t deserve any less time to look after themselves than anyone else gets, and it’s important that you understand that. In fact, that’s why we’ve written this article, to ensure that every dad who comes across this article has some ideas on how they can look after themselves going forward. If you are interested in learning more about this, keep reading!

Try To Get Enough Sleep

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We know that it’s sometimes difficult to get enough sleep sometimes. We know that you are kept up at night thinking about what has happened through the day, interactions you have had with your kids, and wondering if there was anything that you could have done better. We know that sleep sometimes evades us when the little ones have trouble with their own sleep. But, you still need to try to take care of yourself to the best of your ability by getting as much sleep as you can. You may be used to functioning on minimal hours of sleep, but it will eventually catch up on you and is likely wearing you down.

It might help if you start a bedtime routine for yourself so that your brain knows to switch off at a certain time of night. It’s not going to happen immediately, but if you stick with it hopefully you will see results soon.

Practice Good Hygiene Habits 

For some reason we think that parents should see hygiene as a luxury, but why? It’s a basic human necessity, and one that you should be making time for. It’s not fair to say that just because you have kids you should have less time to have a shower, brush your teeth, and other basic needs like this. Having said that though, we know that for some getting to take a shower alone is a little luxury in life and it’s easy to fall behind on the basics. 

If you manage to keep good hygiene habits though, we can assure you that you are going to feel better. You will feel fresh, you will feel more like yourself, and you will be more confident in yourself as well.

Eat Well, But Indulge Too

It’s important that you and your family are eating a balanced diet. A lot of people go wrong with this because they think that this means you have to eat clean all of the time, with no sugar, sweets, fats, carbs or anything else like this. You know what that sounds like? Misery. Nobody wants to live that way, and you shouldn’t try to force this on your family because it’s not sustainable. 

You should be allowing yourself and your family members to indulge every now and then. There is nothing out there that is inherently bad for you when it comes to food, only when eaten in excess. There is nothing wrong with having takeout every now and then, and there is nothing wrong with having sweets every now and then. As long as you are all eating your vegetables and getting the vitamins that you need, that’s what is important.

Give Yourself A Pamper 

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You deserve to pamper yourself every now and then. You work hard for your family, you are a good dad, and you deserve to give yourself a pamper every now and then. Some dads might want to go to a spa and get taken care of in the same way that other people do. Some dads might prefer to give themselves a pamper at home with a high quality razor and a bath that isn’t interrupted 22 times. You can click here to find the perfect razor for this, and get some bath salts to really help you relax.

You can pamper yourself in whatever way possible, as long as it makes you feel good. The point of this is to relax, to give yourself time, and to make you feel good.

Try To Exercise Where You Can

Something else you must ensure you do as a parent is stay as physically fit as you can. This can be achieved through exercise, fitted into your daily routine. If you are busy then you can do the occasional ten minutes here and ten minutes there throughout the day. You don’t have to panic about working out in public, there are workout videos you can follow along at home. 

Don’t Neglect Your Mental Health

Finally, if you are paying close attention to your physical health then you may be neglecting your mental health. You don’t want to be doing that as your mental and emotional wellbeing is more important than your physical health. Think about it, if your mental health takes a hit then you could overindulge in junk food. Therefore one impacts the other and vice versa. If you are having more down days than positive days then it might be worthwhile speaking to an expert who may be able to help you. You don’t want to spiral out of control and end up with far worse problems. 

Socialising is one thing that has been proven to enhance your mental health. If you have friends you can chat to or hang around with then make sure you do this. It is good to get out of the house every once in a while, you need a break and some ‘you time’. If you don’t have a hobby or many male friends then it is time to get some. Think about what you enjoy and sign up to a local club. 

Hopefully this article gave you all the advice you need to stay healthy and well. You need to look after yourself for the kids, they want to be able to run around and laugh with their dad. Taking small steps now will make all the difference for you in the future. For example, if you smoke or drink a little bit too much then you are exposing yourself to problems down the line. Cut these out or limit them as you want to be a positive influence on your kids.