3 days a week spare
The other day, WordPress gave a writing prompt about how do you budget your money. I wondered how I could apply this to fibromyalgia and being a parent. This then led me to thinking about writing a post on how I budget my time as a parent with fibromyalgia. I am very lucky that my little boy has the 2 year funding which means he gets to go to nursery for 4 hours 3 days a week, since January 2024. This means I have 4 hours spare on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. At first, I was a little scared about how I would fill this time as being a stay at home mum is my full time job. I also very much dislike unstructured time and need plans and a structure. However I soon got into the swing of things. So, this is how I budget my time as a parent with fibromyalgia.
A different activity each day
Sewing
At the moment, there are 3 things that I really enjoy doing. One is sewing! This is a new hobby I have had since I got a sewing machine from my husband for Christmas. So far, I have made countless skirts, 3 dresses, a pair of pants, a pair of pyjama trousers, a pencil case and some trousers for Charlie. I absolutely adore making things.
Education
My second hobby is training to be a peer supporter for breastfeeding with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. This is a course I have been doing since December 2023, in my own time, to help women who require assistance, knowledge and support with breastfeeding. I was so disheartened at all the posts I was seeing on Facebook where people weren’t getting the help and support they needed from health professionals that I knew I needed to do something.
Blogging
My third hobby is writing this blog as a cathartic way to help my fibromyalgia and hopefully help other parents in a similar situation to myself. I either write a new post, work on my SEO, work on my socials or research key terms and other relevant blog related matters.
Budgeting the days
With these three hobbies and interests in mind, what I do with each day is sped a day on each item. So, for example, this week I am working on my blog on the Monday, I am working on my breastfeeding course on Tuesday and on Wednesday I am at a sewing workshop; learning how to make a jumpsuit. I pace myself by using the Pomodoro technique, that I’ve discussed before, whereby I do 25 minutes on the activity and then have a 5 minute break doing another activity before returning. This helps me to stand up and stretch, get a drink, sharpen my mind, do bits of tidying and other jobs that I need to do. That way, each week I feel as if I have accomplished something, I give myself a routine which helps my anxiety and I am able to do all the activities I want to do. I feel rested, recuperated and in control of my fibromyalgia. Then the rest of the week is spent focussing on being the best parent I can be to my little boy! My favourite job in the world!
Mummy the Fibro Warrior Top Tip:
- Make time for activities that you want to do by budgeting your time wisely and working with the time you have.
If there is one takeaway I need you all to remember today is that your needs matter too, especially when you are a parent and especially when you have fibromyalgia. By budgeting your time and energy you can parent successfully with fibromyalgia. I need you to know you are doing the best you can, your child/children love you just as you are and you are Mummy the Fibro Warrior!
Until next time,
x
p.s. How do you budget your time effectively as a parent? What hobbies and interests do you like to do? Please let me know in the comments below!
