Oh the time change, it seems we talk about this twice a year! Spring ahead, Fall behind. I'm one of those lucky ones that it has never really bothered me or been an issue that has caused me grief, that goes for my kids as well, but as I surf social media, I see that is definitely not the case for so many. I was chatting with a friend the other day and we brought up the question why is that? Am I approaching it different than other families, I can't be can I?
I am a huge believer in mindset, how we internally talk about ourselves, our situations and our problems can project outwards and transfer to how we deal with situations and problems that arise in our lives. When time change rolls around each year, in my head it's not big deal, we all loose 1 hour of sleep that night, 1 hour, that's no big deal right? Don't we stay up 30-60 minutes to late doing something silly like watching a movie or surfing Pinterest at least one night in the run of a week? I know I do, I've caught myself do that on a Thursday night, getting lost in surfing chicken coops, GUILTY! ha! Yes, I'm a little sleepy the next day but no biggie. So time change, we loose 1 hour of sleep that Saturday night, but in exchange we actually gain something magnificent, an entire 1 extra hour of beautiful daylight, OMG it's amazing, to see that sky still lit up at 7pm! How energizing is that? Summer is coming! I consciously do a little extra the week following, I try hard to be a little extra kind to myself and make an extra effort to eat healthy and make good choices for the week following time change, this will help you adjust. Here is my #1, No big plans that will cause you to loose any hours of sleep! Depending on your body you may take a week to feel like you are back to normal, so spend the week sticking to your schedule that allows you to get the sleep your body requires, do the things at night that encourage you to feel like you are ready for a rested nights sleep, STAY ON SCHEDULE!
So it's pretty easy for me to speak about adults, we can suffer things out and deal with it, but what about adding kids in there. I will speak about how I have always approached it and so far I'm 3 for 3 with kids who aren't bothered.
1. Don't fret, no biggie, it's going to be a bit darker when you are getting ready for school/morning/daycare, turn more lights on.
2. It's a little brighter when you are going to bed, close some more curtains
3. Keep your schedule exactly the same, if your kids usually get up at 6am wake them up at 6am, the mistake comes thinking you need them to make up for that 1 hour lost, that's a hard NO unless you want to throw the whole day off, and ultimately destroy bedtime. I know I don't mess with bedtime, I treat that like an atomic bomb that will detonate if I go past the set bedtime.
4. Don't speak your negative thoughts and anticipations about it, that speaks life into a situation that might not have been, and little ears and brains hear everything you say, don't create a problem down the rd that could have been avoided.
5. Take the opportunity of more light in the evening to go outside and burn some energy off, they will sleep better! I have gone for a pre bedtime walk with the kids every night since time change, there wasn't time before, it was supper then it was dusk, now its still bright for that 30 minute window of opportunity before the bedtime routine starts.
6 Don't stress, this is the sign that spring is on the cusp, we are so close! That should be celebrated.
So there is my time change life in a nutshell lol, notice how many times I spelled routine? HA! it is my life, and our home runs like a well oiled machine, and I love it. I know we all function differently and this may look a little intense for you, but I always encourage having kids on a tight schedule so you as a parent can squeeze in the things you need to each day knowing you will have some time after they go to bed and before they get up. I'm a happier mom because I know everyday at that certain time I'm off duty.
Happy Time Change!
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