Real Talk About Motherhood
Let's be real, motherhood is one of the best experiences there is. However, you can love it with every fiber of your being and still admit its also exhausting, stressful and takes a toll on you- physically and mentally.
As a mother you might find you take on a lot of the physical and mental stress load for the family. Between scheduling appointments, planning extracurricular activities, meal planning, getting everyone ready, doing all of the shopping and everything in-between. When you become a mother you also become a role model, a maid, a chef, a referee, a coach and a safe spot for your family.
Nothing will ever replace the feeling of having a mini version of yourself completely depending on you. Mom guilt is real too though! Wanting time away- but as soon as you get it, you miss your kids! Also, realizing you deserve alone time is hard! I don't know about you, but I have days where I cannot wait for my kids to be asleep, so I can sit and have a minute to myself.
Something I have realized is that if I take time for myself, that doesn’t make me a bad mom. It actually makes me less stressed and more patient for my family! I have been trying to take time for myself weekly, whether it be taking a bath, going for a walk, meditating, getting acupuncture or a massage. There are so many options out there to get you feeling like a "real" person again, outside of that mom role.
Of course, because I'm a TCM practitioner, I have to sprinkle some Chinese Medicine perspective on to everything. When we bear children, this uses a lot of energy (hello we're growing a human) But there is also a lot of blood and body fluid loss during delivery, mix that with sleep deprivation, added stress, and maybe poorer diet (because finding time to make meals is tough) you create a lot of imbalance in the body. Blood and Qi (energy) deficiency is common in women who have given birth, because pregnancy and birth can take a toll on the body and it isn’t easy to know how to take care of yourself in order to regain balance in the body. Blood and Qi deficiency can leave you feeling exhausted, anxious, irritable, it can keep you awake at night, it causes heart palpitations and can leave your tendons vulnerable to strains. Sleep deprivation and over-worrying, which are common habits of a mom, are an evil cycle that can make the other worse. It can add strain to your spleen, which causes poorer digestion, craving sweet foods and leaving you feeling exhausted and sluggish. It’s no wonder we can wind up losing ourselves in the role of motherhood. But you are not alone and balance within the body can be restored with the help of herbs, diet changes and acupuncture.
Moms are rock stars! You grew humans and now you look after them every second. Just remember to take a minute for yourself., because you DESERVE IT! You and your family will be better off because of it. So book some time off for YOU! Whatever that may be, to get you feeling more like yourself.