When you have a kid, you accept the fact that you’ll have to make some sacrifices to your schedule, and that your days of taking a leisurely stroll in the park are over. But, according to a depressing new survey of 2,000 moms and dads, parents today are getting even less alone time than you might think.
When polled by Munchery, full-time working parents said that they only have 32 minutes to themselves per day, and many of them revealed they had to actually hide from their children in order to have a moment to themselves.
Between work, household duties, and childcare, free time for parents has always been scarce. However, there is evidence to suggest that these much-needed moments of solitude are harder to come by now than ever before.
On one hand, it’s great that technology has afforded people the option to work from home, and studies have indicated that people who do so tend to be happier than those who spend their days locked in a cubicle. But, as is proven by the rise of the “workcation,” the drawback is that it means that you never truly get to unplug.
Gone are the days when you would come home from work at 6:00 p.m., have dinner with your family, place the kids to bed, and spend a few hours reading a book or nursing a glass of whiskey in the den before tucking yourself in.
In fact, a June 2018 summary on how Americans spend their days by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that while people over the age of 75 read for over 51 minutes per day, those aged 15 to 44 spend 10 minutes or less on this activity. Instead, we use the little time we have to either watch TV or scroll through social media, and this constant onslaught of voices is making it harder and harder to hear our own thoughts.
So, instead of hiding in the bathroom in order to get a moment to breathe, consider setting a ban on technology after the kids have been put to bed. Once you filter out all of the outside noise, you might be surprised to find how much more time to feel you have to yourself. And, as an added benefit, this technique will also massively help you sleep—and Here’s Why That Will Make You a Better Parent.
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Filed UnderMental Health • Parenthood
