Whether you believe this or not, have children or not it is compelling to consider a) the reason you had or haven't had children and b) how you perceive your experience of life in general.
As a new parent and a therapist working with families I can definitely see the trend toward a decrease in happiness if the focus is on the burden, the stress and the kind of chaos that can be created if you have not chosen to get organized, take care of yourself and focus on the negative.
The most important thing parents can do to foster happiness and a sense of well being is to begin with taking care of themselves first. This may come in several forms:
- exercise
- eating healthy
- creating independent / recovery time
- creating time and attention for your spouse
- being able to set limits for yourself and your children
- maintaining structure and organization with schedules, activities, responsibilities, etc
- focusing on what is working and is good and changing what isn't (such as overly busy schedule, too many commitments)
