Self-care routine that actually works for me | DadHQ

Self-care routine that actually works for me

5d ago1 min read

Been trying to build better habits for my mental health since my anxiety got really bad last year. Started small - 10 minute walks before work, cutting back on caffeine, making sure I sleep 7 hours. Added journaling about 2 months ago and that's been huge for processing stuff. Nothing fancy just writing out what's bugging me. The walks have become my favorite part of the day honestly. If you're struggling it doesn't take much to start turning things around.

7 comments242 views

Comments(7)

BBrandonNew Dad4d ago

Props for being intentional about this. A lot of us just white knuckle through the day and pretend we're fine. The fact that you're actively building better habits instead of just talking about it puts you ahead of the game.

EEdRegular4d ago

This is so important. My anxiety was killing me until I started setting actual boundaries with screen time and work emails after 6pm. Still working on it but the difference has been real.

DDanNew Dad5d ago

How long before you started seeing real results? I'm on week two of trying something new and already want to give up.

BBrandonNew Dad4d ago

Sunday pancakes used to be just a fun family thing but I realized it's also my way of carving out time that's just mine. Everyone's in the kitchen, kids are happy, and I get to focus on something simple and tangible. It helped more than I expected.

BBenNew Dad3d ago

What kind of habits have you been building? I've been struggling to find anything that sticks. Everyone says exercise helps but I can never maintain it with the kids' schedules.

DDanNew Dad5d ago

This is real talk that more dads need to have. We spend all our time taking care of everyone else and then we wonder why we're falling apart. My therapist pointed out that I was worse at taking care of myself than I was at taking care of my kids.

GGarrettRegular4d ago

What kind of routine are you talking about? I've been trying to get better about anxiety too and I'm still trying to figure out what actually works versus what I'm just doing because it sounds good in theory.