Friday 31 January 2014

You Deserve this Mama!

You Deserve This.


Hello beautiful, amazing mothers. :)

Are you feeling burned out?  Are you rushing around doing everything, looking after your children, your family and leaving little or no time for looking after yourself?  Are you getting overwhelmed, exhausted and stressed out?  Is your health suffering?

I'm here to tell you: You have permission to look after yourself, and you deserve it.

You know you can't go on like this.  You can't really care for your children well when you have reached your energy limits.  So what is stopping you from looking after yourself?

Excuse no. 1: "I don't want to be selfish, a good mother puts her children first."

This is just not true.  You are important too.  Of course they do need us to care for them, but how can you care for them well if you are a tired stressed out mess?  Look after yourself and you will be more energetic, joyful and your children will be better off.  When our car isn't running well, we take it in for a service.  Why don't we take care of our most important vehicle - our body?  So don't feel guilty or selfish!  You deserve and need to look after yourself, not just for you but for your family also.  Your family need you to be your best self.  When you are in an airplane, they tell you that in an emergency you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, and then your children.  There's a good reason for this - If you don't, you will be unconscious and incapable of helping your child.

Excuse no. 2: "I don't have time."

We feel so busy and stressed, we think we don't have time to care for ourselves.  But in reality, if we care for ourselves we will have more time because we will have more energy and a clearer mind, so we will be more efficient, organised and get things done faster.

Excuse no. 3: "I'm too tired."

If you look after yourself you will be less tired.

Excuse no. 4: "I'm too busy looking after my kids and/or I don't have a babysitter"

If you don't have a sitter, or cant afford one, you could try meeting other mothers who you can trade babysitting with.  So you look after their kids one day and they look after yours another day.  Its a win win win, for you, the other mother, and the children who will enjoy playing with the other kids.  Even when you don't have anyone to look after them, you can still do things to look after yourself while the kids are at home.


Tips for Self-Care:

Self care is nurturing yourself.  Nurturing your body, mind and soul.  When you take care of yourself you will feel naturally happy, energetic and at peace.  When you don't take care of yourself you will feel stressed, depressed, frustrated, unsatisfied and burnt out. That's not good for you or your children.

Sleep well:
Getting enough sleep is part of looking after yourself.  You need to work on getting your child to sleep through the night as soon as possible.  It can be really hard initially, but the pay off is worth it.  You will actually not need as much sleep if you eat well.  Eating well increases your energy levels. Try eating a light dinner before bed rather than a heavy dinner, so your body will spend less energy on digesting and more energy repairing.

Eat well:
Include fruit and vegetables and drink plenty of water.  Take supplements if you are struggling to get good food in your diet.  Super-food's are a great as they are more natural than synthetic vitamins and your body can absorb them better. I like taking spirulina, it makes be feel good and more energetic.

Exercise:
I know you may feel like it's too hard, or like you're are too tired for exercise, and I get it.  But if you give it a go, exercise will actually increase your energy levels if done right.  Don't over-do it.  Start off small.  For example walking for 5 minutes, then next time 10 minutes, then jogging for 5 mins, then 10, you get the idea.  Start small and work your way up gradually. Your kids can come with you, they have loads of energy, and if you have a baby, you can push them in the pram.  Getting a friend to be an exercise partner can help too, to keep you motivated.

De-Stress:
Pamper yourself with whatever makes you feel good.  It could be a relaxing bath, meditating, art, your favorite music, calling a good friend, getting a massage or facial, going for a walk at the beach.  If you have your kids with you, try getting out of the house, go to the park, it helps change the mood.

Please comment below: What do you love to do for self care?





4 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing Melissa! I was always taught to give up myself for my children. I worked hard and provided them a life that I never had, which was a life of prosperity, simplicity and ease. Big mistake! When I learned to do what you are teaching, I began to earn more respect, gratitude and love from my children.

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    1. Yes! I absolutely love your philosophy on "Creating Champions for Life". When we get the kids to help more, they learn life skills like responsibility and confidence and it makes life easier for us. Win win :)

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  2. Great article Melissa! I think most mothers can relate, I certainly can! It's SO important to balance our needs with the needs of our children. As they grow their needs change & so do ours. It's also equally important to note that there are times where, as parents & adults, we do need to put their needs before our own - it's just a bit tricky to decide when!
    Warmly, Erika

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    1. Absolutely Erica. It is a balancing act. There are certainly situations where the child needs to come first. <3

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