Finding time for yourself as a parent can feel almost impossible when everyone seems to need something from you. Between getting children ready, working, preparing meals, keeping up with the house, and simply being emotionally available, it can be difficult to find even a few quiet minutes that belong entirely to you. And when you finally do find them, you may even feel guilty for taking them.
But needing time for yourself doesn’t mean you love your children any less. It means you’re a person too, and giving yourself a little room to breathe can make it easier to be present for the people you love.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support The Grateful Path.
Why Time for Yourself as a Parent Matters
Parenthood can make it surprisingly easy to lose sight of yourself.
Your days may revolve around other people’s schedules, needs, preferences, appointments, activities, and emotions. Even when you’re technically sitting down, your mind may still be running through tomorrow’s lunch, the laundry you haven’t folded, or whether you’ve remembered everything your children need.
That’s why making time for yourself as a parent isn’t selfish. It’s a way of remembering that you deserve care and attention, too.
And that time doesn’t have to mean an entire afternoon at a spa or a weekend away. Sometimes self-care for parents looks much smaller: drinking a cup of tea while it’s still hot, reading a few pages of a book, taking a peaceful shower, sitting quietly before everyone wakes up, or spending twenty minutes doing something you genuinely enjoy.
The goal isn’t to escape your family. It’s to create little spaces where you can come back to yourself.
7 Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself as a Parent
1. Stop Waiting for a Huge Block of Free Time
One of the biggest obstacles to finding time for yourself is imagining that it has to come in a large, uninterrupted block. If you’re waiting for three completely free hours, you may be waiting a very long time. Instead, look for smaller pockets of time. Ten minutes in the morning, fifteen minutes after the children go to bed, or a quiet half-hour on the weekend can still matter. You don’t need to do something impressive with the time. You simply need to let some of it belong to you.
2. Decide What Actually Helps You Recharge
Not everything that looks like self-care will make you feel better. Maybe scrolling on your phone leaves you feeling more tired. Maybe cleaning the kitchen doesn’t exactly feel restorative, even though it gives you satisfaction when it’s finished. Ask yourself:
“When I have a little time to myself, what actually makes me feel more like me?”
Perhaps it’s reading, walking, journaling, listening to music, having a bath, drinking tea, sitting outside, creating something, or simply enjoying some silence.
Once you know what genuinely restores you, it’s much easier to protect time for it.
3. Give Yourself Permission to Do Less
Sometimes finding time for yourself doesn’t require adding another activity to your day. It requires removing something.
You don’t have to make every meal elaborate, keep the house perfectly organized, respond to every message immediately, or fill every free moment with something productive. If you’re an overwhelmed parent, ask yourself what can be simplified, postponed, delegated, or simply left undone. A little breathing room can be more valuable than another completed task.
4. Put Your Own Needs on the Calendar Too
Parents are often very good at remembering everyone else’s appointments while treating their own needs as optional. If something matters to you, give it a place in your day. That might mean protecting twenty minutes for reading in the evening, taking a walk during the weekend, or arranging for someone else to be with the children while you do something that helps you recharge. You don’t have to wait until every other responsibility has been completed before you’re allowed to take care of yourself.There will probably always be something else waiting.
5. Let Go of the Guilt Around Taking a Break
This can be the hardest part. You may think:
I should be doing something useful. I should be spending this time with the kids. There are so many things I haven’t finished.
But rest doesn’t need to be earned by exhausting yourself first. Your children don’t need a parent who never stops. They need a parent who is human, who sometimes rests, who has interests and needs of their own, and who understands that caring for yourself is part of caring for your family.
Self-care without guilt begins with believing that your needs count, too.
6. Create Small Rituals You Can Look Forward To
A small ritual can make time for yourself as a parent feel more intentional.
Perhaps you make your favorite tea once the children are asleep and spend ten minutes reading. Maybe Saturday morning means sitting outside with your coffee before the day begins, or Sunday evening becomes your quiet journaling time.
These moments don’t need to be elaborate. In fact, there is something beautiful about having a few simple comforts that quietly tell you, this time is mine.
A cozy pair of memory foam slippers or a lightweight robe can make this ritual even more relaxing if you prefer to stroll indoors.
If you’d like to turn some of these small pockets of time into a calming ritual, you may also enjoy Gratitude Rituals for Parents: Relax, Unwind, and Sleep Better, with simple ideas for slowing down, reflecting, and creating a more peaceful end to your day.
7. Remember That You Don’t Have to Disappear to Find Yourself Again
You don’t necessarily need a dramatic escape from family life to reconnect with yourself. Sometimes it’s enough to notice the person underneath the endless responsibilities.
What makes you laugh? What are you curious about? What did you enjoy before your days became so full? What small things make you feel peaceful? Parenthood becomes part of who you are, but it doesn’t have to become the entirety of who you are. Making space for yourself can help you remember that.
You Don’t Have to Feel Guilty for Wanting Time Alone
There is a difference between wanting time away from your children and wanting time to yourself.
You can adore your children and still want quiet. You can be grateful for your family and still need a break. You can treasure this season of parenthood and still occasionally wish someone else would make dinner. None of these things make you a bad parent, they make you human.
And sometimes the most loving thing you can do is stop demanding that you give everything you have, every minute of every day.
Small Moments of Self-Care Can Become Part of Your Family Story
There’s another reason I love the idea of creating small pockets of time for yourself: they don’t have to be separate from the life you’re trying to appreciate.
Perhaps one day you’ll remember those quiet mornings, the cup of tea you always made after bedtime, the book you read in the corner of the sofa, or the few minutes you spent writing down what you were grateful for. These ordinary rituals become part of the texture of family life.
And if you’re trying to slow down and notice more of those little moments, that’s exactly what inspired The Grateful Parent.
A Journal for the Moments You Don’t Want to Forget
The Grateful Parent is a 30-day guided journal created for parents who want to slow down, reflect, and treasure the season of family life they’re living right now.
It isn’t another parenting checklist or something else you’re supposed to accomplish perfectly. It’s a place to pause, to notice the little things, to remember what made you smile, to capture the ordinary moments that are so easy to overlook while you’re busy living them. Because one day, you may look back and realize that these were the days you wished you could remember more clearly.
30 Days to Slow Down, Reflect & Treasure the Days You’ll Want to Remember.
If you’ve been looking for a gentle way to create a little more space for yourself while also appreciating the family life you’re building, The Grateful Parent can become a beautiful place to begin.
Small Things That Can Make Time for Yourself Feel Special
You don’t need a complicated self-care routine to make a little space for yourself. Sometimes a few simple comforts can help turn those small pockets of time into something you genuinely look forward to.
- A relaxing herbal tea collection for a quiet cup before the day begins or after the house settles down.
- An aromatherapy diffuser paired with an essential oil set to create a calming atmosphere when you finally have a little time to yourself.
- A soft throw blanket for curling up with a book, a journal, or simply enjoying a few quiet minutes.
- A relaxing bath gift set for turning an ordinary evening into a small act of self-care.
These aren’t about buying your way into a better life. They’re simply little things that can help make the time you already have feel more intentional and enjoyable.
You Don’t Need More Time to Start Caring for Yourself
You may not suddenly find an entire free afternoon waiting for you tomorrow. But you might find ten minutes. And ten minutes can be enough to begin.
You can sit down without accomplishing anything. You can drink something slowly. You can write. You can breathe. You can remember that you are more than the list of things you need to get done. You don’t have to wait for life to become less busy before you’re allowed to enjoy it.
Sometimes making time for yourself as a parent begins with something much smaller: deciding that the little pieces of time you already have are worth something, too.
And perhaps, in the middle of caring for everyone else, you’ll discover that caring for yourself isn’t taking you away from the life you love. It’s helping you be there for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start by looking for small, realistic pockets of time rather than waiting for a large block of free time. Ten or fifteen minutes can be enough for something restorative, especially when you choose an activity that genuinely helps you recharge.
Remind yourself that having needs doesn’t make you a less loving parent. Rest and personal time can help you feel more refreshed and present, and you don’t have to finish every other task before you’re allowed to take a break.
The best activities are the ones that genuinely help you feel restored. Reading, walking, journaling, having a bath, listening to music, enjoying a quiet drink, or simply sitting somewhere peaceful can all be meaningful forms of self-care.
There isn’t one amount that works for every parent. Instead of focusing on a perfect number of hours, consider what amount of regular personal time helps you feel more rested and connected to yourself.
Look for ways to simplify your responsibilities, stop expecting perfection, ask for help when possible, and protect small pockets of personal time. You don’t have to solve everything at once to create a little more breathing room.
Your Turn
What does time for yourself as a parent look like for you right now?
Maybe it’s ten quiet minutes in the morning. Maybe it’s reading before bed. Maybe it’s a walk, a bath, a cup of tea, or simply sitting in silence for a while.
Whatever it is, I’d love to hear about it.
Leave a comment, save this post for a day when you need the reminder, and share it with another parent who might need permission to take a little time for themselves, too.
And if you’d like a gentle place to reflect on the good, the difficult and everything in between, Discover The Grateful Parent and give yourself 30 days of noticing, accepting and appreciating your parenting journey without judgment.
From the Author
Thank you for reading. I hope this reminds you that making a little time for yourself doesn’t mean you’re taking something away from your family. You don’t have to find hours of quiet or wait for life to become perfectly calm. Sometimes, a few intentional moments are enough to help you breathe, reconnect with yourself, and return to the people you love with a little more space inside.
And whenever you need a reminder that caring for yourself is part of caring for your family too — I’ll be here.
Let’s walk The Grateful Path together, one meaningful moment at a time. 🌿
Continue Your Journey
Gratitude Rituals for Parents: Relax, Unwind, and Sleep Better – A simple nightly practice to help you let go of stress, reset your mindset, and actually sleep better.
How to Raise Grateful Kids in a Busy World – Discover daily practices to help you raise kids who are more grateful, joyful and well-rounded!
How to Appreciate the Little Moments of Parenting – Slow down, notice the little things, and discover why these ordinary family moments matter so much.
Best Gratitude Journals for Beginners (That Actually Help You Feel Better) – Find the best gratitude journal FOR YOU!
Simple Ways to Have Calmer, More Peaceful Mornings as a Parent – Start your mornings with a little more calm, connection and breathing room, even when family life feels busy.
How to Calm Anxiety Naturally (Simple Ways That Actually Work) – Gentle, natural ways to calm your mind and ease anxiety without adding more pressure to your day.
Leave a Reply