Let Go of the Mom Guilt

Are you holding onto some Mom Guilt right now?

It's funny; when I was growing up, I was often told by my Dad to take care of number 1 and I never really fully understood what that meant until I became a mom. I always thought that it meant sticking up for yourself, defining your own path, and to a degree not caring if what is best for you hurts other people.

Now that I'm a mom, I understand it in a totally different way.

One thing that we tell our postpartum clients is that it is important to take care of themselves. Whether that means a 15 minute break in the evening to run out for a coffee (drive-thru's were made for parents, I'm convinced!) without children in the back seat, or a hot shower at the end of a long day. Whatever it means for you, take care of yourself.

You cannot pour water into a cup from an empty pitcher, after all.

The same goes for taking care of your family. There will be sleepless nights, there will be diapers to change, there will be mouths to feed and emotions to soothe.

And if you are run ragged and are stressed and feel like you don't know who you are anymore, how can you do any of those things? How can you be expected to do any of those things?

I find that often when I fail to take care of myself it's because of mom guilt. I feel like I shouldn't be taking that time to decompress. And then, a few days later, I feel like a monster, all wrapped up in my own head because I didn't take that time. It's a rather vicious circle, really.

Take that time. You matter, and the better you are to yourself, the more you are showing those around you that you are worthy, you are valuable and that they too should be taking care of themselves in little ways.

Let the self love flow!!

xoxo
Shannon