Today (August 15) is National Relaxation Day. Though we can’t pinpoint exactly where or when this “holiday” began, we do know it’s an important one! Even if you can’t get to the spa, we know that you’ll want to take a few minutes of “you time” today, so here are a few helpful ideas for the stay-at-home parent.

1. Remind yourself to take a few moments to simply take a few deep breaths – it’s like a built-in stress reliever! Whether you’re feeding the baby or running errands, this can help you to hit the reset button before taking on the next task.

2. You can fall into a sedentary lifestyle at home, so try and do a little stretching, yoga or even just leg squats. I bet you don’t even have to put the baby down!

3. Listening to music can help set your mood – and the kid will love it, too! Something upbeat to get you through the afternoon or mellow you out at the end of the day is never a bad idea.

4. A mental vacation is a great way to escape! Think about that time at the beach or this one time at the lake, and boom – you’re there. Hopefully you get a few minutes before junior starts up again.

5. Sticking to a routine can help free up some time! Place your least favourite (most stressful) tasks at the front of your list and get ‘em out of the way. This will ensure that by the end of the day, you’re only checking off things you like, instead of putting them off until it’s too late.

6. Do you have more than one child? Share the workload! Make it a game with fun rewards to make it something they’re actually into.

7. Take care of you. You’re your own person, and being a parent is only part of what makes you who you are! Get someone to watch the little one(s) for an hour while you break out the watercolours, dig back into that book you started last year, take a bath or hit the bike trails.[:]