Hilary Duff Is Taking Guitar Lessons To Help Destress From Parenting In Quarantine

Like many other parents right now, Hilary Duff is finding moments to herself while sheltering in place are few and far between. In a recent Instagram Story, Hilary Duff revealed how she's taking care of herself while parenting amid quarantine. The Younger star is taking some time for herself to learn a new skill: the guitar.

Duff revealed on Monday, April 6, that she began virtual guitar lessons (courtesy of her friend and Walking Dead actor Alanna Masterson) in an effort to carve out more time for herself during these unprecedented times. The actor and singer said she felt emboldened to pick up the skill during the global health pandemic because her needs outside of motherhood are valid and “should be met.” Cue: the sound of parents everywhere agreeing in unison.

“Today was my very first guitar lesson, and I just wanted to post this because I know moms are busting their ass right now,” Duff said on her Story. “We don’t have a lot of time for ourselves, and I get it. I’m so tired by the end of these days I’d crawl into bed [with the] remote in my hands and I make it through five minutes of a show, or my anxiety’s kicking in and I’m up for like, three hours and I can’t sleep.” Duff added that since “everyone’s just going through it right now,” she wanted to show that she did something for herself, encouraging others to do the same, before diving into the chords she’s learned.

“I learned something today, and I suck, but this is my very first lesson,” Duff explained. “I’m gonna work really hard… and just do something for myself and put some time in and know that I’m important, too, and my needs outside of work and being a mom are fair and should be met and are important.”

Duff’s mini guitar session comes after she opened up about the tolls of quarantining with her two kids, Luca, 8, and Banks, 1, and her husband, Matthew Koma. “I’ve never been spread so thin because I’m now keeping a house clean, keeping everybody fed for almost every single meal and doing four-plus hours of homeschooling a day,” Duff told PEOPLE on April 6. “It’s just a real conquer and divide kind of situation right now,” she added of tag-teaming with Koma. “We’re trying to make it fun and playful and trying to involve the kids in cooking. Trying to make everything fun has been key, and we just feel really accomplished by the end of the day.”

Between housework and homeschooling, here's to hoping the guitar lessons provide Duff the solace she needs during quarantine.

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