It's a universal truth that parenting is a tough job - perhaps one of the most tough in the world! After all, there's not a time when you're ?off the clock?; between caring for your family, supporting your child's after-school activities and running a household, it can seem almost laughable to make time for just yourself. These days, who has the time?



But if you want to maintain a happy and healthy family - not to mention your own sanity - it's more important than ever to make a bit of time for yourself at the end of a particularly hectic day. As a parent, you need this time to decompress, restore your frazzled nerves and relax those tense muscles. An additional bonus is that once you've taken time for yourself, you'll be able to be a better parent and partner, since you're more relaxed, and less likely to succumb to stress and anxiety.

So how exactly do you find ?me? time during the typical hectic day? Easy: just follow these tips and you'll be back to your carefree - or at least, less-stressed! - self in no time!

1.Take a ten minute bath at the end of your day. Once your children are in bed, zone out in a nice and relaxing bath. The warm water will calm and soothe tired muscles, while you'll get a moment to collect your thoughts.

2.Go for a walk on your lunch break. Experts have long known that exercise boosts our happiness and can work wonders on stress, so take advantage of your hour-long break to give yourself a quick pick-me-up!

3.Sing in your car on the way to and from work. If you commute alone, make a CD of your favorite music and sing your heart out like nobody's watching. After all, your commute is probably one of the few times that you'll get a significant amount of time to yourself: take advantage of it by turning into a singing superstar. If that's not your cup of tea, try something else that makes you feel relaxed and stress-free: buy an audio book, call a friend or just simply enjoy the scenery en route to work.

4.Meet up with friends that you haven't seen in awhile. It's easy to let weeks, even months, pass without catching up with good friends - so hire a babysitter and make a day of it. You'll have so much fun laughing with old friends that you'll hardly feel frazzled once Monday morning rolls around!

5.Try learning how to meditate or do yoga. These types of physical and mental exercises are no longer for celebrity starlets - in fact, many of your coworkers and friends likely dabble in yoga and meditation themselves! Once you've become practiced in these soothing exercises, it won't take long for peace and tranquility to be restored to yourself again!

6.If you're feeling really exhausted, get your partner to watch the kids while you take a nap. A quick twenty to thirty minute nap will work wonders for your mood and will instantly perk you up; plus, it's not difficult to take twenty minutes out of your day to catch a quick snooze. Just remember to promise your partner the same in return!

In order to be the best parent that you can be, you'll need to make time for yourself once in a while. Try not to think of it as selfish ?me? time; rather, focus on the fact that taking a few minutes out of each day to devote to yourself will make you a better mother or father and partner - your family will certainly notice the difference!