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“Raising Keiki? Take Care of Yourself, Too!”

girl with grandmaHelping to bring up your ‘ohana’s keiki, you have made a lot of sacrifices. You have lost sleep, given up spare time, neglected your social life, and maybe even taken another job to help support them.

You love your keiki and are doing the right thing by raising them. You are the channel through which the culture is passed. But sometimes you may feel tired, stressed, lonely, isolated, and even depressed. These feelings are perfectly normal. Don’t forget that in order to be able to take care of them, you must first take care of yourself. Here are some ideas about taking better care of yourself so that you can take better care of your keiki.

Emotional Strains

Bringing up keiki can be lots of work and may cause you to feel emotions that make you uncomfortable.

Remember, the situation is not your fault! You are making a difference in their lives. The following suggests some actions that will help you remain positive and do the best job you can.

Face Your Feelings

grandma helping boy with workKeiki can challenge you in ways that you never thought possible. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep your cool when they are pushing your buttons. Here are some suggestions for keeping calm:

After the immediate situation is over, you can take steps to prevent feelings from building up to unmanageable levels.

Guard Your Health

You can best take care of your keiki when YOU are healthy and feel good. By setting a healthy example, you are giving a gift.

Take a Break

Once in a while, you need to relax and refresh yourself.