Have you ever felt two completely opposite emotions at the exact time? Think about it. Something can be contradictory and still be true.
I do love motherhood! Is it everything I imagined it would be? Some days I feel like I got WAY more than I bargained for, but I’m learning more and more each year how important my self-care really is. I learned that I have to be okay for my kids to be okay, and this self-care journey has taken me for a wild ride.
No, I’m not talking about getting my nails or hair done, or even going to the bathroom without four sets of hands beating on the bathroom door. I’m talking about truly giving myself the grace I need, equipping myself with the right tools, and allowing myself to feel both the love and the overwhelm that come with motherhood.
Motherhood isn’t for the faint at heart
I was completely submerged in motherhood, and barely surviving each day. I just assumed after having my third baby, the daily chaos was par for the course. Little did I know that would eventually run me to empty and I would have nothing left to give. I knew self-care mattered, but I didn’t know how to truly care for myself. It was a recipe for disaster to be honest.
I even sought out the help of a therapist in some of my darkest days, whose advice left me shocked and wondering if there was any hope for me. Was this just the way of life? I was miserable. Should I just pull up my big girl pants and move on like I’d been taught my entire life? There had to be more to life than this. Surely.
Nobody owns the truth – and there’s always more than one way to solve a problem.
I know a lot of people who have had successful encounters with therapy, but what do you do when therapy doesn’t work?!
After a two year long journey to find the root cause to my daughter’s illness, I stumbled upon energy medicine. It seemed weird at first, but I was willing to try ANYTHING. We had addressed everything physical, and although she was in a much better place, I knew there was something more.
I’ve never done anything for my kids that I hadn’t tried for myself, so as the guinea pig, I signed up for my first session. After my first session, I felt a physical weight lifted off my shoulders and started to feel like things were going to get better eventually, and I was right!
Since finding this holistic modality, I am a completely different person inside and out, but more importantly, I have a new perspective on life. Not only have I been able to work through things that impact our daily lives in the present, but I have also been able to release different generational traumas from not only myself, but my kids as well.
Simple ways to combat feeling overwhelmed, you can do at home.
- Quiet time. Being intentional about this, and truly working on your inner self.
- Get an adequate amount of restorative sleep. Eight hours or more is ideal.
- Eating right. Fueling your body with the right nutrition, to function optimally.
Radical acceptance – you can accept it AND you can want something better.
Since hitting what I’ll call a rock bottom, I have learned many different holistic and natural health modalities that have given me insight on how sick I really was. Not just physically, but emotionally too. These trapped emotions were causing physical pain – and releasing them was the best thing I could do not only for me, but my husband and my children too.
I gained a deeper understanding of myself, I have a deeper spiritual connection with God, and I have learned how to pray more intently for my husband and our children. I only wish I knew about it sooner.
I can honestly say now, motherhood is the best and most rewarding thing I have ever done. Even though the last four years have been extremely hard for me, my children saved my life. And for that, I am forever grateful.