Girlfriend, are you pouring from an empty cup? Let's fill you back up!
You know I have to start my blogs with telling my truth. So here's my truth:
I. AM. TIRED!!! That's it. That's all!
Here's the gag: WE ALL ARE!! 😂. Mothering is a 24 hour job that's open 7 days a week. I don't think a time will come that on the rare occasion we are allowed to nap, a mom will say (and mean it!) "oh no, I've taken too many naps this week. Thanks though!" There may be other reasons to not take the nap but clearly you are God's favorite if the reason is due to you taking too manyy naps! [if this is your story, please leave a comment and tell me your secret!]
So, what do you do when the nap, the break, the release is needed but you can't see the light at the end of the everyday, to-do list, tunnel? Here are my tips when life seems to get the best of me.
Music
I don't know about you but I am a lover of all types of music. If the beat is right, I'm there. (The beat is going to catch me but if the lyrics are trash, I'm out! Lol) What I've noticed is when I stay in one genre for too long, I tend to get bored. The day-to-day feels like "blah". One day, I got this odd urge to listen to some throw back music from my high school days. (I'm talking Mike Jones throwback, girl!) But man, let me tell you, it was such a great pick me up. Listening to those old songs gave me the same feels I got when I listened back in high school. I was able to go back down memory lane through songs. Moments I completely forgot about came back to me and gave me so much joy! Music is truly medicine! Whether you are listening to throwbacks or exploring new genres, I encourage to play something new today!
[PS, still be mindful of what you are listening to, especially when you are looking for a pick me up. Let's be sure that we are listening to music that will uplift us in those moments and not want us to throw our spouse and kid(s) away 😂]
2. What Can Wait?
In my own motherhood journey, I have realized that I put more on myself than motherhood actually gives. I want to ensure all tasks are complete. I want to make sure I am ahead of the game all the time. If we are low on toilet paper I am immediately upset with myself because "I should've done more to prevent this from happening", instead of giving myself the grace I deserve considering I am only human and only one person. Another bad habit I have is not pacing myself. If I could (and I've tried) I would do everything in one day to get it over with. What I continue to struggle with is pacing myself. Since I know I am liable to overload my plate, when I feel my battery getting low, there are moments where I really have to ask myself: "what can wait?" Can I move a task for tomorrow? What's the most important thing for RIGHT NOW? Depending on the amount of energy I have left, there have many days where all I had to give was dinner sometimes cooked, sometimes or ordered. When exhaustion hit, don't keep going as if it's a normal day. You are exhausted because you have no allowed yourself a break, or down time. In these moments, only do what you can. Nothing more.
3. Don't. Do. Anything.!!!
I know the girls are not going to like this part but I have to say it. You don't have to give yourself something to do all the time. You should not be raacing the clock day after day. There's no need to check and complete the the to-do list all day everyday. It is still productive to plan a day to do nothing. Our bodies, our mental health and even the kids need us to sit down and do nothing at all. If you are a planner, plan a rest day. If your days are all over the place like mine are, and you have little ones like I do, sometimes, I simply have to tap out on any given day. No plans, no preperations. I simply have to make the concious decision that "today is going to be the day I dont do anything!" What that looks like for me since I do have little ones at home is me putting on movie or show they love and letting them watch it while in the bed with me so I can have a moment to breathe and simply be. I know TV/screen time is a controversial matter these days but this is my truth. I wanted to share what a rest day WITH the kids could look like so we are not wearing ourselves thin waiting for the moment to come for us to rest without the kids. Create your own way of getting the rest you need. Just make sure you do it.
4. Practice Gratitude
In the moments when life is trying to kick you and keep you down, remind YOURSELF how blessed you are. It is so easy to get lost in the sauce of the day-to-day and forget that we are blessed to always have something to do for our family. It's a blessing to have a family to take care of. In moments of hardship, I want to leave this scripture with you: Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." My friends, we are not meant nor called to do it all on our own. Allow God to come and help you.
With Love,
Sarah