After the intensity of adjusting to life with a new baby, many parents reach a point where they find they're like ostriches lifting their heads out of the sand to discover a wider world — the one they took leave of, temporarily, after the birth. The repetitiveness and endlessness of baby care can also be very different from the pace of work, especially if you're used to a goal-oriented job or lots of adult interaction.
Six ways to restore a little balance:
1. Join a parenting group. Look for a group that fosters your interests and offers lots of support through activities and resources. Check the listings in your local paper or at your library, your place of worship, or the doctor's office for meeting announcements. There are groups for breastfeeding moms, parents of color, working parents, book-reading parents, stay-at-home parents, and so on — or you might find (or start!) an ad hoc neighborhood group.
2. Go online. Keep in touch with friends or family by e-mail, network with other parents at sites like BabyCenter, or just check in on "the outside world" at news sites. Read parenting blogs — it can be reassuring to see how similar other peoples' problems are to your own.
3. Spend some time by yourself. Make sure you get a real break — a chance to relax, focus on yourself, and get inspired — at least once a week. Ideally, find half an hour just for you each day, maybe at nap time.
4. Read. Keep a book or magazine handy for those times when your baby naps. Even if it's just reading a few pages a day, you can "escape" to a world of fiction or learn something new.
5. Start a blog or a diary. Whether you choose to make your observations public or keep them private is up to you — simply recording them is a time-honored way to preserve your sanity. You can keep an online journal on BabyCenter.
6. Have an adult conversation. Whether it's over the phone or in person, chatting with a friend, relative, or your partner can re-energize you.
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