What is an unexpected way you find yourself practicing self-care? For me, it’s paying attention to the out-of-the-ordinary aches and pains of my body. We put a lot of strain on our bodies through pregnancy and keeping up with toddlers. I believe I’m referred to as a geriatric millennial, and honestly, I get it. I’m sitting here writing a post about how my joints hurt for crying out loud… and I just used to term for crying out loud. So yeah, it me.
But anyway, I developed tendinitis in my wrist from carrying around my 1-year-old so much this past year, and knee problems from squatting with improper form to pick her up 10 billion times a day. Because of the pandemic, I’ve had more time with my kids (not complaining about that!), but at the same time family and friends haven’t been around as much to share the carrying/cuddling duties, and my body really feels it.
I thought I could push through if it only hurt when I picked her up, but it eventually got so bad I could barely type on my computer, and that got me thinking. Us moms tend to “push through” things too often on the mom side of things, until the issue starts to affect other areas of our lives. I was seriously willing to wince in pain every time I picked up my daughter, until I realized it was also affecting my work life too. Most of the time, we give everything we’ve got to our families and work, and don’t leave any space for ourselves.
So here is your cue to tune in to your mind and body and notice how you’re really feeling. Don’t just push through something to make it work. Identify the heart of the issue and find something you can do for yourself to make it better. It could be something seemingly little, like a little pain in your wrist, that could improve multiple aspects of your life if you gave it the attention it needs. Be true to yourself, practice self-care, and never forget to treat yo’ self.
It’s the perfect metaphor for this messy and unpredictable thing we call mom life.
