If I’m being honest, these past few weeks I’ve felt more emotionally heavy and uncertain than usual. I’ve had to be intentional with my time, space, my capacity to take on things, and especially my thoughts. This weekend I took some time to partake in some much needed self-care. As desired as this particular self- care break was, I had to peel myself off of the couch to take care of myself the way I needed, in that moment.
As moms, we have to be intentional with caring for ourselves every day and sometimes every moment. Over the last few years, I think many of us have gotten this idea about self-care being something that requires us to do something that’s appealing and portrayed as promoting relaxation. What I’ve come to know is that self-care is not an action, but more so a state of mind. Self-care is relative and can often change based on our needs.
What self-care looks like for me, may trigger another mom and cause her to become anxious. Self-care can be refusing to take phone calls because you’ve reached your capacity for the day and you need to reserve your energy. Self-care can be choosing not to go to a family function in order to protect your space and peace, or speaking up for yourself when someone comes at you in a disrespectful manner; because we all know that audacity is at an all-time high! Self-care can also be going to the get a massage or spending the day at a spa. Self-care for me this weekend was deciding not to get a pedicure because I didn’t feel like sitting in the nail shop. Considering this, self-care is a way of life and can look different than what traditional standards of self-care has been portrayed as.
Essentially, self-care is about waking up and choosing yourself over and over again. It’s about choosing your peace of mind when the world around you is chaotic. So each day you rise momma, make a decision to care for yourself and set your intentions for the day. We can’t always control how our days go but we can control our response to them, and caring for ourselves is one way we can do that.