As I approach the celebration of my oldest son’s birthday, I can’t help but look back. Retrospect is a wonderful tool to gauge how life is going in the now. Thanks to the magic of video, I can easily recapture all of my mothering firsts. It takes me right back in time. I feel the emotions, the joy. I remember the challenges of each new phase of his young life. And I remember all the reading about raising healthy children. Wellness and motherhood went hand in hand.
I have to laugh though, as I remember charting out my infant’s daily routine. Number of nurses, diaper changes and nap times. The act of tracking and journaling grounded me as a new mom. Soon enough, my son and I were ebbing and flowing so naturally. The midwives were kind to spend quality time with me. They empowered me to trust my mothering instincts and reminded me to take care of myself as well.
I was grateful for the enthusiastic support and partnership that Peter offered. He seemed to echo what the midwives were saying. He always insisted that I take a nap or relax when I felt I needed it. He and I have always shared household tasks, and I was never more grateful for this than at that time.
As my second child came along, experience allowed Peter and I to move with more grace and ease. We instilled good eating and sleep patterns into our boys and spent lots of time outdoors in the fresh air.
The patterns we’re setting for our kids during this critical growth phase don’t need to stop in childhood.
Have you ever found yourself caught in overwhelm? Has your health ever taken a hit? If you have, you’ve likely been forced to change your pace of life to figure things out.
When this has happened to me, one of the first things I’ve done is go to bed early. A good night sleep has helped me get sorted too many times to count. After getting some rest, eating a fresh, nutritious breakfast has been my next step. Being rested and nourished are two simple, yet powerful steps to wholeness. Add in a walk in the fresh air and I begin to make progress.
Get Real With Yourself
As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, my best ideas and solutions often come to me when I’m taking a walk outside. This is a time to go deep and ask honest questions of myself. As I practice this, I find my questions get more constructive and solutions are easier to find. Getting quiet with ourselves regularly is vital to living an emotionally healthy life.
The path to wellness may take on many forms, but the essence is simple. When you find life spinning out of control or if you don’t feel healthy, take stock of your daily patterns. Are you getting enough quality sleep, are you eating a variety of fresh foods, are you getting enough fresh air and physical activity? The things that helped you grow through childhood are still important to you as an adult. The only difference is that you’re responsible for nurturing yourself now.
When you get good at self care, you’ll be a reminder to others that they can too. And our world needs more rested, whole, heart-centered people. We can do so much more good this way. Now go breathe in some fresh air!
Tell Me:
What is the area you’re struggling with the most in your parenting? Please share in the comments. It will inform on future blog posts I publish to help you and others feel supported.
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Blessings,
Sheila
