We get it: as a baby & toddler class provider, you’re living the juggle daily. Admin, marketing, social media, class planning – not to mention actually delivering your classes – it can all pile up! When combining this with demands of family life (as is often the case with our class providers), trying to keep a shred of time for yourself amid a busy schedule can be a challenge.
Around World Mental Health Day (10 October), we consulted our community of experienced class providers and thought we’d share these top tips on looking after yourself and holding onto some work-life balance.
1. Prioritise yourself
When you’re spinning lots of plates, this can feel really hard to do, but remember: you can’t pour from an empty cup. So it really does pay in the long run to prioritise yourself, your needs and your wellbeing. A happy, healthy, relaxed and rested class provider will be best-placed to give the parents and little ones attending their classes a happy, relaxed and enjoyable experience (and keep them coming back) – so it’s win-win!
Don’t forget to make time for exercise: even just 10 minutes a day in between commitments can help reset and energise you for the rest of the day. Jenni Drewery from Music Makers Northants shares this tip: ‘I try to do some form of exercise (pilates / yoga / running) at least three times a week. It’s worth the effort to squeeze it into a busy week, as I find it frees my busy brain and helps me refocus on the most important things I need to be doing next with my business, rather than being trapped in a spiral of never ending emails and social media messages and posts!’
2. Do something you enjoy
Remember when you had time for hobbies?! It can seem like a stretch too far to fit them in when you’re super busy, but doing something you love and totally absorbs your attention is a great way to switch off. And you never know – it might even add something to your classes!
Sarah Botting, who runs music classes with Lucy Sparkles & Friends Brockley, Forest Hill & Sydenham, agrees: ‘For the last couple of years I’ve treated myself to going back to having regular piano lessons and booking a babysitter to get to my orchestra. Challenging my own playing rather than just using it for work has helped me set aside some time for myself and rekindled my love of music for its own sake, as well as for my day job!’
3. Protect your time off
While at Happity we encourage our lovely class providers to post on social media as often as they can (see our blogs on social media for providers), it’s still important to switch off sometimes. We know it’s hard when keeping in touch with your clients and potential clients is your bread and butter, but taking the occasional break is healthy.
Try setting your work hours and sticking to them. Or having a fixed hour each day when you reply to emails / social media messages, and then try to avoid it outside of that. Scheduling your social media via tools like Buffer can really help, or there are plenty of tools out there such as Freedom or BlockSite (a Chrome extension) which block out distracting websites and apps between certain hours. Protecting your family / personal time is really important to avoid burn out.
As Katherine Harrison from Birch Holistics Baby Massage & Yoga in Yorkshire says: ‘Setting my boundaries (and sticking to them) has been huge for my gaining a work-life balance; knowing that I have a time to switch on and switch off my business brain means that I can be the mum and wife I want to be when everyone is at home, and the balanced business woman when they’re not.’
4. Try meditation & mindfulness
You don’t have to be a seasoned yogi to benefit from meditation and mindfulness. Now autumn is here and the evenings are drawing in, it’s the perfect season to pause, reflect and check in with yourself.
When you’re feeling the pressure, why not use some simple breathing techniques such as lengthening your exhales to reduce stress and help tap into your parasympathetic nervous (or ‘rest and digest’) system. Try this 5-minute calming breathwork by Yoga with Adriene.
Anouska Cassells from Soulful Success for Instructors has this advice on staying grounded as a class provider: ‘Take a moment before you begin your session to breathe deeply, plant your feet on the ground, and remind yourself of your role: to hold space with love. This tiny pause helps you arrive fully present for your group.’
If you’ve tried meditation and it’s not for you, there are lots of other activities you can do mindfully to help you switch off, from a walk outside or cuppa with a friend to gratitude journaling or a hot bath with essential oils – even cleaning can be meditative! ‘I have a 5-minute journal I do each day,’ says Vanessa Lobato from Baby College Wokingham & Reading. ‘Meditation using the Calm app. Walking the dog. A walk in nature is the best medicine.’ Wise words indeed.
5. Remind yourself why we do this
If you’re feeling frazzled, you might find yourself questioning your career choices. But reminding yourself why you chose to become a class provider in the first place is a great way to keep up morale. The flexibility, being your own boss, working with little ones – on a good day, nothing can beat it!
As Anouska Cassells advises: ‘Keep focused on your Why. Staying connected to this rather than absorbing the drives or expectations of others is really important. Your purpose is your anchor. When you root in your own truth, you stay steady, avoid overwhelm, and can give from a place of clarity.’
Above all, remember how valuable what you do is to all those parents who rely on baby & toddler class for the company, community and a reason to get out of the house. With more than half of new parents experiencing feelings of loneliness, classes like yours can be a lifeline. In our 2024 parent survey, many cited maintaining their mood and mental health as a key reason for attending a class. Connecting families, creating a sense of community and ending parental loneliness is Happity’s entire raison d’etre, after all!
For more tips from your fellow class providers, join our Provider Facebook group.
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If you liked this, you may also like:
Top time-saving tools for class providers
The 7 Warning Signs That You Are Experiencing Burnout As A Class Provider
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