If you primarily care for your child alone during the day, you can try the following:

• Practice a short relaxation exercise, such as the “4-7-11” breathing exercise: Inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 7 seconds, repeat at least 11 times.
• Try to take some time to rest whenever possible. Rest, if possible, when your child is sleeping.
• Work sharing: Ask your partner, other family members, or friends for help with taking care of your child.
• Call your partner, other family members, or friends for a conversation.
• Take a walk outdoors with your child.
• Prepare a cup of tea and enjoy it mindfully.
• Treat yourself with something to eat that you particularly enjoy.
• Mindfully apply a soothing body or facial cream to yourself.
• Take 10-15 minutes for yourself to read a book or browse the internet.
• Listen to music (you can also use headphones while trying to calm your crying child).
• Keep a diary to record beautiful, special, or funny moments with your child. It serves not only as a reminder for you but also as something your child may appreciate later on.
• Read from this diary to recall pleasant moments.
• Use the Gratitude exercise in the app.
• Consciously notice moments when your child is calm and then engage with him or her.
• Join a parent-child group (e.g., baby swimming, playgroup, etc.).
• Get to know other mothers and fathers to exchange experiences.
• If you have other children: Try to regularly find leisure activities for them that take place outside your home (e.g., playing with friends, joining a sports club, etc.).
• Try to view your child’s whining or crying as a form of communication with you: This approach can help you “endure” when your child is crying a lot.

If someone is available to assist you with caring for your child, you can try the following:

• Take a warm bath or shower.
• Engage in a sport you enjoy.
• Participate in a guided meditation or yoga session that helps you to focus on positive aspects.
• Take a walk alone or with friends.
• Treat yourself to a small break, such as a visit to the hairdresser, massage, or sauna.
• Spend time with friends, whether it’s going to the movies, theater, or grabbing a meal or coffee.
• Pursue your hobbies, such as painting, crafting, or reading.

Try to incorporate at least one activity into your daily routine that nurtures you. Remember that caring for yourself is a prerequisite for being able to take good care of your child. Perhaps the following analogy will help: In an airplane emergency, you are instructed to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to help others who depend on you. Apply this situation to your daily life with your child.

It’s not uncommon for parents to reach their own limits from time to time. Sometimes, the strategies and tips mentioned may not be enough to break the cycle of negative feelings. Remember: No mother or father is immune to feeling completely overwhelmed by a situation. In those moments, we’re no longer ourselves. In the worst-case scenario, despair can even lead us to act in ways that are not true to ourselves.