Disclaimer: This blog post is dedicated to mothers that we should celebrate every day!
Mother’s Day is just in a few days. You know what that means don’t you? That’s right: your email is being bombarded by suggestions about what you DESPERATELY NEED for Mother’s Day!
Here’s the thing: do you really need another coffee mug/agenda/gift certificate/libation/soap/essential oil diffuser/cruelty-free gift basket of fruity body lotions and bubbles that will likely result in a rash and/or yeast infection? Likely not.
As a mother myself, allow me to be so bold as to suggest the perfect gift for moms: time for true self care.
If you’re a mother, you have so many roles that a wardrobe on Real Housewives would need an extension to house all of the hats you wear on a daily basis: nurse, partner, cook, monster slayer, alarm clock, water fetcher, cheerleader, counsellor, advocate, co-conspirator, teacher, biology whiz, stain remover, hugger, reader, shopper, driver and at some times….. slave.
Have you ever read the KYAG folder on an airplane? Yes, the Kiss Your Ass Goodbye leaflet i.e. what to do in the case of an emergency. It specifically says to PUT THE OXYGEN ON YOURSELF FIRST. I am not the first person to use this analogy to illustrate how important it is that as a family leader, YOU NEED TO CARE FOR YOURSELF FIRST! When did selfish become a bad word? Let’s put a positive spin on it: focus on yourself. I challenge you to use all of the energy that you give to others and to turn it on yourself this Mother’s Day.
Self-care is more than spa days and chocolate cake. Though pleasant, these are not practices that are going to sustain you in the long-term. Here are some suggestions for what will:
- Every night before you go to bed, write down three things you are grateful for, no matter how grand or seemingly trivial.
- Block off some ME time and stick to it! Reconnect with a friend or a hobby that fell by the wayside when nights got short and free time disappeared
- Movement: if exercise is a dirty word for you, call it movement and go for a walk, dance in the house, follow a YouTube yoga video
- Sleep: It’s the Holy Grail, the Unicorn, the day-after-giving-birth-skinny-jeans, and Yeti all rolled into one!
But in order to be your best self, it is crucial that you find time for this practice in order to maintain the best mental and physical health that make it possible for you to mom to the best of your abilities.
Remember the first time your baby slept through the night? You woke up in a panic thinking something was HORRIBLY WRONG. But after placing a mirror under their nose to make sure they were still alive (no? just me?), you realized how great you felt. Strive for that feeling by making YOU a priority in your life. Once your fill your cup, you will be able to fill everyone else’s too.
Written by Genevieve Herzog
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