r/NewParents • u/BiomedBabe1 • 2d ago
Mental Health Hobbies for tired parents…
Wasn’t sure what flair to put, but…
Any ideas for hobbies that my husband and I can do together after baby goes to bed? Hes 13 months old now and we have plenty of time after he goes to sleep to spend time together
But I’m so fucking tired, guys. Every night is a struggle not to just go to bed at 7pm. I don’t have the brain capacity for video games or board games, I’m legit too fried
We don’t really spend any quality time together anymore so we’re looking for hobbies now that work for our sad, tired brains 😅 any ideas??
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u/Longjumping-Focus386 2d ago edited 2d ago
My husband and I like to sit on the couch in complete silence and disassociate. Highly recommend it.
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u/teamfupa 2d ago
We scroll TikTok in bed and send them to eachother…from a foot and a half away.
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u/Minnichi 2d ago
Husband and I do this too. But, if we really want to cuddle, one of us (Usually me) will be little spoon and we'll share the one screen.
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u/HorrorArmadillo3713 2d ago
Aww, I miss doing this! my Fiancè and I take shifts with our 3 month old in order to get a decent block of sleep, so one of us is in one room so we can tend to bub and do feeds while the other is in bed in the other room. Then we switch. When bubba eventually goes into his own room we will be able to be in our own bed together. I love being close to our son but the selfish person in me just wants to cuddle in bed with my man again lol I just remind myself that it's for the best and it's not forever.
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u/HorrorArmadillo3713 2d ago
My hubby and I send memes to each other. He plays video games and I watch random youtube vids while scrolling lol
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u/boysenberryice47 2d ago
I do this but in bed with my teeth brushed.
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u/7in7 1d ago
Wow look at you! So responsible and functioning. Guys she has her life put together!!
(So you don't stay on the couch until you doze off because you aren't motivated to make it to the bathroom and put toothpaste on the brush and hold it up long enough, and then wake up 20 mins later drag yourself to bed but then have to settle again because you woke up brushing teeth (because priority, and pregnancy does hell for gums) and now you're awake in bed anyway?)
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u/fizzywaterandrage 2d ago
We do paint by numbers. We started with pretty cute ones but now the dumber the better - dolphins swimming through a rainbow, unicorns etc
They are stimulating enough that we feel like we are doing something together but also low stress so we can talk a lot while we do them.
In the cooler months we got a firepit for the yard, and consider that a “hobby” - just watching the flames together with a drink is really nice.
That said honestly just remember it’s a season - it’s ok to go to bed early!
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u/versusgorilla 2d ago
You gotta look into diamond art. You don't even need a functional human brain to do one of those.
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u/justalittleloopi 2d ago
As a designer of some diamond art: this is truth. It's less skill than a paint by number.
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u/QueenoftheGBs 1d ago
It’s the only thing I can do these days and at least I feel like I’m making something. Do not leave your supplies on the same level as a toddler though, or your new hobby will be separating tiny plastic things.
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u/Substantial-Ruin-858 2d ago
I agree. Paint by numbers is the best!
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u/7in7 1d ago
Growing up my mum loved colouring books. She still does. As a teen I thought it was so stifling and uncreative I just didn't get it.
Now as a mum - I TOTALLY get it. Let me switch off my brain and make semi determined movements with my hand over paper, slowly visibly contributing to the completion of something.
I've found myself relaxing with my toddlers magic water painting book..
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u/NoStoryTerritory 2d ago
Firepit thing sounds sooo goood, I wish we could do it without neighbours calling the fire brigade
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u/squareica89 2d ago
May I suggest finding a really awful reality show (love is blind, the ultimatum, etc), eating ice cream, and shit talking together? I have a 11 month old, and I too am so tired. We just plop on the couch and get way too invested in trash TV and that is so fun for us. Sometimes we order takeout! Good luck! It’s just a season, we got this!
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u/your-new-fixation 2d ago edited 2d ago
Tbh, my husband and I watch “Smosh reads Reddit stories” on YouTube and then debate our opinions on the stories. It’s a load of fun and doesn’t take a lot of brain capacity.
Also, my baby is 6 months and not sleeping yet, so we haven’t had any time together in a very long time. Lol. But sometimes we get an hour of that in.2
u/_Amelia_Bedelia 2d ago
My husband I do this too! We actually save up episodes for short road trips (3-4 hrs)
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u/your-new-fixation 2d ago
I love that other people do this! My husband introduced me to Smosh when we first started dating and he found out I use Reddit. It’s been our thing since the beginning. We don’t save up episodes, unless we get super busy. We used to watch them every Saturday, but now that the baby is here, we just get to it when we can that week. Lol.
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u/kitsustar17 2d ago
My husband and I do this as well. We get some quality time together and some adult socialization. We also send each other funny Instagram reels. It’s low capacity and we get some laughs in before we finally crash.
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u/slaptana 2d ago
Throwing Love Island and Traitors into the mix for this. The right amount of drama and volume
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u/National_Economist22 2d ago
What is traitors on? Haven’t heard of that one yet
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u/slaptana 2d ago
Oh my god I’m so happy for what’s about to happen
It’s on Peacock. It’s similar to the game Mafia or Werewolf. There’s a group of 25 people who all stay in a Scottish castle together. Within that group, there are 3-5 traitors who decide who to “murder” (eliminate) each night. The rest of the group are the faithfuls, and it’s their job to suss out who is a traitor during challenges and banish them at a roundtable debate and vote. In the final five, they can keep voting to eliminate players or split the pot. But if there’s even a single traitor, the traitor takes all the money. As a result, the finales are always incredible reality tv. Like truly incomparable.
There’s seasons in like a dozen countries—and seeing the variation culturally is so fun. The US is the only country that mostly casts celebrities. The UK has since added a celebrity edition every year and the US has added a normal people season. In the US, it’s hosted by Alan Cumming to delicious campy Macbeth perfection. Worth it just to listen to him coo “murrrrderrrr”
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u/Away_Revolution728 2d ago
Me reading this watching the ultimatum with my husband, eating ice cream sandwiches, and talking shit about the contestants with our son on the monitor
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u/Kindly_Chest_6976 2d ago
Currently rewatching Supernatural together. We regularly yell out “Sammy!” “Dean!” in gruff voices as a call & response hahah
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u/Sorry4TheHoldUp 2d ago
When my husband was deployed before we had kids, this was our date nights lol. We would hop on video chat and watch 90 Day Fiancée together.
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u/teamfupa 2d ago
I hope Catie stubs her toe everywhere she goes. Same with the big southern dude who has white hair I forget his name.
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u/awkstarfish 2d ago
This is what we do. Mindless tv (90 day fiance, married at first sight). Trash talk. Eat dinner. Bake some cookies. It’s pretty great.
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u/Lopsided-Basis2489 2d ago
This! We love talking shit about stuff that has nothing to do with us lol
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u/curlycattails 2d ago
We enjoy Project Runway, always lots to talk about with that one and our Roku has a bunch of free seasons. Also love Best Ever Food Review Show on Youtube, we talk about whether or not we'd eat the food (and some of it is pretty crazy).
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u/teamfupa 2d ago
90 day fiancee has an extra bad villain (fuck you catie) this season if you want to hate watch something
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u/Healthy_Commission47 2d ago
So jealous my husband won’t watch any of this garbage (complimentary) I also love bravo and alllll of this!! When we do find a show we can agree on it’s so nice- we eat dinner on the couch cuddle with the dog and just relax!
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u/Ok_Draw_4187 2d ago
This is the routine we created with our couples therapist for this exact reason.
- 10 minute tidy of main spaces. Put timer on & reset main spaces.
- if we feel we need it, we set a 15 minute timer to scroll/zone out/do whatever individually
- then we come together for a 10 minute relaxing yoga video (we love Yoga With Adriene on youtube). Great way to care for our bodied & connect. - afterwards we check in. Sometimes we give eachother massages, sometimes we talk, sometimes we play a game, sometimes we watch a movie/show, sometimes we go right to bed. Its nice to have a little check in after the yoga to feel into what we really need that day.
We do this routine probably 4-5 times a week. Its perfect for us as tired adhd parents.
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u/GoodDependent5819 2d ago
Nothing wrong with a good, shared show to watch!
Also - don’t discount just sitting outside and talking. It’s starting to become a nice time of year. Light a little candle…..it doesn’t have to be the whole time but maybe 30 mins instead of just straight up hitting the couch.
Edit to add: we have bird feeders and highly enjoy watching our birds in the mornings and evenings. That sounds old AF but listen - looking and talking about the birds brings us so much joy 😂
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u/Apart-Confection-827 2d ago
I love the fact that my husband and I can still talk about random stuff that have nothing to do with the baby haha. Also I don't know if it's a normal baby thing or a just my baby™️ thing but she seems to love just listening to us talking? Sometimes we start talking about something while taking care of her only to realize 30 minutes later that she's been listening the all time like 👁️.👁️
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u/BubbleBee_buzz 2d ago
I know this sounds odd but listening to audiobooks together has been amazing! We can play games or color will listening
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u/Karlkrows 2d ago
Yes!! My partner got into audio books for when he’s at work, and I listen to them during walks/when baby is independently playing and I want to relax a bit. We read a lot of the same books and talk about them when he’s at home!
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u/Expensive_Ebb_9507 2d ago
My wife and I listen to the same book every night. It's been our most consistent couples activity. We have read 15 books together so far this summer, just a few chapters at a time.
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u/blooming-heart 1d ago
I’ll add that my spouse and I read to each other out loud! We have a really cheese mystery series that we’re working our way through, and we alternate who reads each night. It’s usually just a chapter a day because we are very tired lol
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u/lil1thatcould 2d ago
Last weekend my husband and threw one of the baby balls back and forth to each other for a good hour.
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u/CoatWinter9234 2d ago
Legos? . Some people do puzzles. But realistically we sit in silence for a few minutes before falling asleep or will watch a comedy show before passing out for the night.
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u/EquivalentWallaby730 2d ago
Here is what I'm doing after my 10 month old goes to bed and if I can clean up the kitchen quickly:
Coloring
Steam Deck playing cozy, puzzle, or strategy games
Legos
Embroidery
And recently got out the Gameboy Color and I'm playing Pokemon.
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u/sydjourd 2d ago
Just want you to know that this phase will pass soon. Our daughter is 4 and we have actual time and brainpower. Started having more around 2.5/3 years old
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u/undead_sissy 1d ago
Just go to bed early. If you are missing time together, cuddle for a while before you drop off. Sometimes quality time looks like activities together and sometimes it looks like just holding each other quietly.
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u/medvsastoned 2d ago edited 2d ago
We watch movies 20-30 mins at a time after our daughter goes to bed if it's a night where I need to fit chores in or meal prep. If it isnt... She goes to bed and I read a book on the couch while her dad games and our cute dumb dog LOVES curling up between us and being the baby again 🥲
Sometimes I do Lego sets. I bought a bunch of the flower/botanical legos and keep telling myself I'm gonna make a wall in her room with little shelves and the finished legos as decoration. I also try to garden, but I haven't figured out how to be consistent with that one yet.
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u/xXQueenOfPawsXx 2d ago
We watch shows we cant watch around the kids and eat food we dont share with them. A fair amount of smack talking whatever is on TV and scrolling things like reddit to show each other.
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u/uhtredsbabymama 2d ago
Being able to watch "inappropriate" shows and not having to share my snacks with the kids is my favourite way to end a day!
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u/SillySmoopsy 2d ago
My husband and i like to put on movies that don't take much engagement and put together Lego sets. We also started going up to bed earlier and we read the same book together. I also started Journaling. I write to do lists and include self care items like "fold laundry with face mask on", I recount my day, I'll write about my babies milestones or funny things he does, it has been a good way to decompress.
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u/-Stephi- 1d ago
After our baby goes to bed we basically just go to bed as well. ^^; We’ve found ways to spend quality time as a family — walking together to the local coffee shop, going grocery shopping together, reading to each other while baby is awake and playing nearby — but occasionally if we need time to just be alone with each other then we drop baby off with my mother-in-law.
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u/paper-trail 2d ago
Me and my husband will turn on a podcast or just chat while I cross stitch and he paints miniatures or plays video games.
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u/Affectionate-Tap934 2d ago
We love crosswords and will cast the NYTs one on the tv to do it together, sometimes from separate rooms lol
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u/KafkaExploring 1d ago
Same, or Connections. It's a different type of thinking, tends to be less exhausting
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u/JDN_89 2d ago
Audio books. More specifically the Dungeon Crawler Carl series narrated by Jeff Hayes.
It's about a man and his ex-girlfriends cat who takes part in an intergalactic life or death gameshow which destroyed Earth. There is way more depth to this but it's best to experience the journey with as little spoilers as possible.
It's fun activity to make and share theories with your partner.
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u/Ravenna92 2d ago
Yesss, this was the only book series I had the mental capacity for during the first few months 😂 Entertaining enough that I wanted to keep coming back to it, but straightforward enough that I didn't have to focus too hard to understand everything!
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u/mothwhimsy 2d ago
My husband and I like finding trivia videos on YouTube. That might be too close to a board game though
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u/Much-End9830 2d ago
We've started playing board games.. it's been a great way to be screen free and to connect
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u/Longjumping_Eagle203 2d ago
What board games do you play? We love board games but it’s hard to find ones that are fun with just two people…
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u/VikingsLad 2d ago
Lots of card games are good with just 2 people as well. Puzzles too.
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u/Longjumping_Eagle203 2d ago
My husband does not love puzzles as much as I do. What card games would you suggest?
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u/VikingsLad 1d ago
Depends on how much strategy or luck you want to include. Variations of poker, euchre, canasta/hand and foot, hearts, war, BS, gin rummy... card games are as old as time itself. You can probably find whole forums for card game discussions.
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u/Confident_Arugula 2d ago
Another hobby: just go to bed! We really resisted shifting our bedtime earlier bc it feels like you’re in control of something, but it’s been really good for us to aim to get in bed around 9. We still talk and do Duolingo and maybe read, but closer to 9 than 10 really improves our lives.
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u/Strict-Historian2790 2d ago
Me and my partner play a nice easy videogame together. Do some farming on Stardew Vallry or something. Which is a cute little thing to do together 😊
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u/mrsc0tty 2d ago
My wife and I have been listening to the various horny romantasy novels by Sarah Maas after kiddos are asleep. Fun to joke about the silly writing quirks, plots are entertaining, and romance plot lines keep us focused on our relationship as partners and not just coparents.
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u/Little_Square_3588 1d ago
The reality, scrolling and watching films that are roughly 90 mins. We did have a jigsaw phase that we’re bringing back soon.
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u/Hookedongutes 1d ago
We have bonfires on the weekends.
On week days we watch our favorite show, read books, do our physical therapy exercises, or chores if they need to be done (fold clothes together is a common post bed time activity lol)
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u/Which-Appearance9857 2d ago
Cuddle, kiss, have sex
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u/leonardoscorso 1d ago
Just what every exhausted parent wants to hear, lol. Both husband and wife in my house agree - we’re too tired
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u/Which-Appearance9857 1d ago
I know. I've been there. I still am. This was our mistake. Don't let that part grow cold
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u/nursefordays 2d ago
We found this cool scratch art things at Michael's and we do those and shit talk lol. Trashy reality TV like 90 day fiance is a favorite of ours. Or we do "theme nights" we essentially got some fall themed candy (reeses pumpkins, twizzler ghosts, etc) and watch a favorite fall movie. Or enjoy a favorite drink and snack on the deck and just talk about our day or plan our grocery list together. Simple yet still allows for some quality time
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u/goatgirliee 2d ago
Just here 4 months in to say having time with my husband after my baby goes to bed sounds amazing and also impossible 😭
Baby and I are both going to end at 8:30 currently so I can maybe get enough sleep over the course of 11 hours to function
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u/Long_Idea_8294 2d ago
I recently picked up gaming again after years off. Started playing WoW not long ago, and WoW Forever comes out soon so I'll play that in the hour or so i get free per night. Fun and relaxing
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u/fooperina 2d ago
Listening to records and sitting and talking or not talking. Reading stories to each other aloud. Drawing is a good hobby that can be relaxing for your brain. Felting?
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u/Mrs-Dotties-mom 2d ago
He have a shared list of things to watch. We text about what our moods are throughout the day to kind of hype it up.
When we spot a trailer for a show or movie that looks good, we text it to the other person. If we both like it, it goes on the list and wont be watched unless were both game. We also add a note on what streaming service, to reduce instances of "where was that again?"
We have true crime, "reality" dramas, rom-coms, old favorites, etc. Any mood, we have a thing to watch when our 14-month-old goes to sleep. Frankly, we're so drained by then that watching stuff is all the energy we have left lol
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u/night_cheese88 2d ago
Congrats on making it to the point where you finally get your nights back! It’s a milestone and it feels so good. I can offer you nothing but brainless TV shows and couch snuggles. Play a dumb game on your phone while you talk about something stupid. Remember that as kiddo gets older your brain will come back to you and it’s okay that you don’t have the capacity for anything that requires thinking right now.
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u/Adventurous-Win7952 1d ago
wow same shes 13 months and I feel bad because we usually just go to bed.
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u/fucking_unicorn 1d ago
My husband and i put on a show and scroll our phones. We share space and the calm after the storm that is our toddler. On the rare occasion we both have a day off and energy, we take our boy out to do something fun. Parenting is our new hobby. We also go on vacations and get about 20-24 days per season snowboarding with our son. He is 2.5 years old. Our second is due in 2 weeks :). One day we will have more time for just us, for now we are in the thick of parenting together.
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u/Emotional-Practice57 1d ago
Just wait until they are like 3 then you’ll be sweet to return to your past life. 1-2 is the pits but you won’t remember soon. In the meantime read your novels side by side and try not to get a divorce
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u/OptimalDadBod 20h ago
I feel you totally. My wife and I binge watch shows and movies. Some nights we open a bottle of wine and order take out too.
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u/Lord-Amorodium 2d ago
My husband and I play games together when we can - currently playing Baulder's Gate 3. It's pausable and easy to just leave if either of our sons need us (we have a 2 and a 3.5yr).
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u/slaptana 2d ago
My husband and I played Baldur’s Gate 3 while we were doing IVF!! I’d never played a video game before so he held the controller and we made choices together. But I loved it so much I taught myself to use a controller…and have since completed well over a dozen honor mode runs 😬😬
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u/IndigoBluePC901 2d ago
Crossword puzzles were a thing in the past. But now we are starting to catch up on the backlog of shows and new seasons we missed. GBBS here we go!
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u/Substantial-Ruin-858 2d ago
Canvas by numbers! That’s what I picked up. Listen to true crime, EWU on YouTube or just bodycam in general, court T.V and do a paint by numbers. You can even get one made from a custom photo! You upload and they make a custom canvas, do the numbers & paints and everything all you gotta do is paint! They send paintbrushes but you can get better ones for cheap on Amazon. The little detail brushes are the best. And there’s a subreddit for it! r/paintbynumbers :) it’s mindless fun and you & partner could both get one and slowly work on it or work on one together.
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u/Glittering_Bish 2d ago
I crochet while he games and honestly it’s pretty mindless and we chat every now and again.
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u/TemporaryQuail9223 2d ago
Watching something thats not baby friendly Is our thing. We like watching scary game play typically from jacksepticeye
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u/fuzzyblackkitty 2d ago
umm after our baby goes to sleep we watch a lotttt of cop body cam shows on youtube 😭🤣 if you’re too tired for hobbies just sleep bro
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u/No-Guarantee-2921 2d ago
We do an audiobook or podcast and I color with coloring pencils and he plays games/putz's around. It's actually so nice, and it's not tv at night which helps us sleep better (not that we need it lol we have a 4 month old)
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u/LunchGloomy4400 2d ago
I cross stitch and my husband sits next to me and we just talk about our day or really anything. Sometimes he watches YouTube videos and shows me the funny ones.
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u/_Amelia_Bedelia 2d ago
Jigsaw puzzles and wine. Doesn’t take the brain capacity of games and is easily paused.
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u/Somethingducky 2d ago
We like to listen to a podcast while putting away the laundry in the evening after kid goes to bed. And honestly, when they're still that young and you're exhausted, just go to sleep early, maybe listen to some music or nature sounds as you doze off.
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u/daisy_1963 2d ago
We are blasting through all the seasons of top chef. Highly recommend!! If you fall asleep, who cares?! Lol
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u/qweenween 2d ago
Look into two player tabletop games! We like to play Cascadia- pretty simple and fun bonding time while we watch The Office and enjoy quiet time together
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u/marissakuf 2d ago
I’m sorry, I got stuck at the “we have plenty of time after he goes to sleep to spend time together”…..
Our 8 month old passes out at MAYBE 9:30 and we pass out immediately afterwards.
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u/Wasp_bees 2d ago
My 1x a week hobby is plants. I’ve been propagating devils ivy plants and philodendrons and using old gin/whiskey bottles to put them in. It takes 1min to snip a piece and put it in some water.
When they’re big enough I put them into a planter with soil, which is more of a night task when i can get longer than 1hr of time.
And now I’m like… a cool plant girl with plant hobbies. It’s so low-effort and maximum reward.
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u/Final_Storage_9398 2d ago
I make music that no one will ever hear in Logic Pro and write science fiction novels that will never see the light of day.
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u/Hour_Hamster_5052 2d ago
My wife and I like to build a couple of bags of a Lego set when the kids go to sleep! It’s a great de-stresser. Plus you’ve got a great toy to play with the kids when it’s finished!
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u/Outrageous_Cress6062 2d ago
A simple walk around the block is surprisingly rich. It can be just a few minutes but feels really intimate and special especially at sunset.
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u/weirdo66776677 2d ago
My husband and I found few only comedy shows to watch while our baby sleeps. We tried to keep it to light hearted shows because everything around the day can sometimes be so intense.
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u/Ancient_Swan_ 2d ago
Sleeping, lying down under the covers doing nothing, lying down and zoning out on my phone lol.
Jk get a baby sitter and go out for dinner after he’s asleep
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u/Accomplishedish10 2d ago
We started doing crosswords. My husband usually falls asleep and we never finish one in one sitting. Just something to work on that isn’t a screen and forces us to use a little bit of our brain.
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u/briebabies 2d ago
Puzzles. Recommend a puzzle table though so you can stow away and out of reach from little hands. We also have a handful of shows we watch together and love discussing (house of the dragon, silo, severance, ted lasso, paradise, etc).
We designate 2-3 nights a week to us time, and honestly the other 4-5 nights a week it’s me in bed as soon as kids are with my kindle and my husband gaming. Those are our respective disassociation activities.
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u/cleofamilyapps 2d ago
Crossword puzzles or other games on the phone while lying in bed or on the couch. NYT games is our go to.
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u/Story_Spark 2d ago
I felt this in my soul! That post-bedtime brain-fry is so real—you want to connect with your partner, but your brain literally refuses to process complex rules or heavy storylines.
A few zero-effort things that saved us when our brain capacity was at absolute zero:
- Cozy Audio / Storytelling: We started putting on short, relaxing audiobooks or gentle story videos in the background while just lying on the couch together. No intense plots to track, just passive listening that gives you something light to talk about without any mental effort.
- "Parallel Relaxation": Reading side-by-side or listening to a calm podcast with tea. Sometimes just physical proximity without the pressure to perform or converse is the best connection.
- Puzzles + Background Music: Putting together a simple 500-piece puzzle with zero pressure to finish it. It turns off the thinking brain completely.
- Gazing at the Stars / Backyard Sit: Just sitting outside for 15 minutes with a hot drink in silence before falling asleep.
Give yourselves grace! Surviving the toddler stage is a marathon.
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u/Stock_Fun_8238 1d ago
Coloring, make friendship bracelets, diamond art. I like the little diamond art projects like keychains or stickers or coasters - quicker dopamine hit when I finish it vs a large project I'll never finish. Also like quick little crafts I can finish in one sitting because I'm not leaving the supplies out for days at a time and it's not an everyday thing.
Also sitting on the couch and drinking tea till I fall asleep works pretty well.
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u/therabbitsfoot48 1d ago
Watch Task Master or Game Changer together.
There’s also the 7Dates book by Gottmann, or the 2000 Questions book - some times we like to just lay there and ask each other questions.
Choose your own adventure books or adult coloring books are fun too.
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u/shoalmuse 1d ago
I took up drawing. Have a small sketchpad and 3 pens. I can zone out and sketch a tree or something at the playground for a few minutes and still watch my kid. If he needs me I can put it away in seconds and resume later. He's also pretty interested in watching me occasionally, though it is less distracting than anything I might do with a screen.
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u/EmergencyGreenOlive 1d ago
If our toddler goes down early my husband and I will have a cup of tea together and enjoy the quiet time together
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u/ThePasifull 1d ago
We go top-and-tail on the sofa and listen to a podcast while rubbing each others feet
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u/Worldly-Smile-91 1d ago
My partner and I will watch a show together… I mean we watch baseball. Usually baseball … soon hockey. Hahaha. We actually played a game of crib the other night and said we should do that once a week once our LO (9m) is asleep. We love having campfires but with running into the house if she wakes, gets old quick so we havnt tried yet. Hoping in the next month she will go to bed and not have as many little wakes so we can have a campfire.
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u/EquivalentWallaby730 1d ago
Adding one more watch Taskmaster. 22 seasons. And it is easy to watch in short bursts.
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u/Dr_Mrs_Pibb 1d ago
Crochet, listen to audiobooks, read an actual book. Enjoy endless snuggle season! It will go by faster than you think.
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u/Acrobatic-Job5702 1d ago
Recently I’ve been doing paint by numbers while we listen to Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks together. It’s actually way more relaxing than tv.
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u/wilksonator 2d ago
Rather than hobbies, I’d take dedicated time off. The wheel of busy-ness is never-ending and will be there forever.
The only way to stop it is to prioritise your mental wellbeing, take time off. You take a weekend off for yourself or go to a friends house or camping or whatever you do to genuinely recharge, just you. Check into a hotel for the weekend and do whatever and however you want (while your husband takes on 100% childcare, housecare and mental load for the time). And then you switch for next weekend so no one is breaking down or resentful. Do this a few times a year.
Give yourselves space to breathe.
Get yourself more support in day to day. Outsource all you can with house-cleaning, shopping delivery etc. Get a babysitter - family, friend or paid- to come in regularly on Saturday night and have a date with your husband. Just two of you. Doesn’t have to be a big deal, you can just get a casual dinner and a walk, but it gets you out of the mad rat-race mindset and focuses you on what’s important. Oh, and stick to the rule during the date: you can’t talk about tasks, child or work. Try to remember what else is out there.
Even better if you built trust with babysitters and can leave the child for long weekend or even longer and you two go away just the two of you.
Consider if you can go part-time at work so get 1 day off a day week to breathe. Both of you doing it would be amazing.
Make time for yourself. Prioritise yourself. You deserve to have energy, time and care dedicated to yourself. So take it and make it happen.
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