You Must Take Care Of Yourself
In 2019 I promise to be better.
Say it with me. I promise to take care of myself.
Each Wednesday in January I am going to chat all things wellness. Why not, it’s the New Year! You can expect things like my weekly workout schedule, motivational/meditation and inspiration podcasts, celebrating yourself and a few others. This week, to start it off, we need to address the biggest issue facing mothers…. your inability to take care of yourself.
I am a firm believer that in order to take care of them (your children, your spouse, your family) you need to take care of yourself. Plan and simple. You are a better mother, daughter, employee, wife and friend when you treat yourself as a priority. As someone who struggled, for many years, to take care of herself I am speaking from experience. I am 100% a better mother, wife and human when I take time for myself.
Our lives, as mothers, are overloaded with shuffling kids, rotating schedules, preparing meals, ensure bedtime happens and thousands of other things that we inherently forget to take care of ourselves.
Mothers are the most selfless people in the world. Yet they deserve to be the most selfish.
As we head into 2019 so many of you will set a goal to loose weight. To drop that remaining baby weight. To eat healthier. Start a new hobby. Begin a new career. Never yell at your children. Be more present in life. All of these are WONDERFUL goals and aspirations. BUT I want to challenge you to think bigger. To think larger.
Being a parent- especially to a child who has sensory processing is tiring. It is exhausting and it, at times, is all consuming. The thought of stepping away to focus on myself is down right craziness.
This child I have is my first priority and how selfish I am for wanting to take focus on myself… does this sound familiar?
Due to the therapies, appointments and school I do not have time to take care of anything especially myself… have you said this before?
STOP! In order take care of them you MUST take care of yourself.
So, what do I mean that you when I say you can’t take care of them unless you take care of yourself?
The fact is that if you are unbalanced, off center, unhealthy and have a clouded mind it is near impossible to see parenting through a lens of happiness, growth and success. Shoot, you will not only see parenting through a clouded dirty lens you will see life that way.
To be the positive example of happiness and growth we all want to be for our children we MUST practice that. We MUST do more to focus on ourselves. Be patient, be kind, be forgiving. But more than that focus on taking care of yourself.
When I do my meditation, eat healthy and workout my ability to parent with purpose and be present grows immensely. When Declan’s sensory needs are demanding and I have a clear mind I am better able to meet his needs. On the days Declan needs a little extra attention if I have worked out I am more present and comfortable snuggling and being patient. There is a direct correlation. Taking care of myself allows me to focus on others.
Okay, that is all fine and dandy but how do I do that?
Great question! Stick with me through this month and we will unpack all of that. We will focus on the five dimensions of self care and we will, together, learn how to take focus on ourselves.
- Physical
- Intellectual
- Social
- Spiritual
- Emotional
Your children will thank you… maybe not in words. Your spouse will thank you… maybe not in words. YOU WILL THANK YOU… in words, actions, mental clarity, physical health and happiness.
With Love,
