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Being a mother is the best reason you’ll ever have to take care of yourself. It’s important to nourish yourself in order to pour that loving energy into other areas of our life, including your families. Treat your own mental health as a priority and be intentional in your promise to take care of yourself in mind, body and soul. Since becoming a mother, I have experienced a profound shift in my outlook and want to empower women to live a life filled with self-acceptance, a freedom to choose your own unique way and a whole lot of self-validating love.
When your child is born, so is a new identity, the mother. We have never known that aspect of ourselves, or our soul, before. The impact of birthing the mother on our identity is huge and has an impact both on our mental health and our sense of self.
The mother is so undervalued in modern society, that we, as professional modern women, often have no idea how to incorporate this new role into our modern psyche. When women have space and support to honour themselves with love, to connect with their authentic selves, healing and a new, sustainable balance arises.
Unsupported by society and the workplace, balancing your new identity with your old can cause overwhelm, burnout, loneliness and lack of confidence. Learning to heal and find new ways to balance all the parts of you, increases your emotional awareness and creates a stronger connection to mind-body-soul. You may learn to find balance and to accept yourself in all your imperfect perfection.
The cornerstone of mental health for mothers is self-care. Here are 5 simple ways you can make yourself a priority.
1. The first step is to stop, take a deep breath, and recognise that the world doesn’t rest completely on your shoulders. Often, the people around you could help more if you simply asked and spread out the responsibilities both professionally and personally. It can help to let go of the need for perfection and trust that everything will be OK, even if some tasks on your list are done imperfectly or not at all.
2. Next is about being mindful. If you are mindful in knowing what you need and when you need it, you can be intentional in caring for yourself and your family properly. Take time to go inwards, tune into what your body, mind and soul need to feel nourished. Find gratitude for the things in your life and appreciate the small things in your day.
3. Feed your soul. Self care includes making the time in your week to invest in the things that set your soul alight. Whether that is reading, socialising, learning, moving your body or creating. However it looks for you, actively making time for the things you love will keep your motivation up.
4. Remember, self-care is holistic. Make sure you are looking after your body as well as your mind and soul. This means getting sleep when you can, eating whole foods, spending time outdoors in nature and moving your body in a way that feels good for you. A massage or manicure can go a long way to help you feel relaxed and special too, but first make sure you’re taking care of the basics.
5. Look after yourself daily. It can be hard to make the time to invest in yourself daily but this is how we maintain our energy levels so we can be at our best to support others in our lives. Women reach the point of burnout all the time because we give to others until we can’t give anymore. Often forgoing our own basic needs. The point of self-care is to prevent that from happening.
About the author
Charlotte Lewis is a Holistic Psychologist, certified Life Coach, Meditation Teacher and Mother to one gorgeous little girl.
She is on on a mission to empower other women to HEAL deeply, TRANSFROM their mindset & live a life they LOVE. To live a life filled with nothing less than self-awareness, freedom to choose your way, free flowing inspiration, endless motivation, and a whole lot of self-validating love.
Find out more at www.mypsychologycoach.com.