If you are a mom you understand that phrase. Mom mode. For those of you who may not be a mom let me break it down for you. It’s feeling like you have a full-time job 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. No sick days or vacation days. You may be up in the middle of the night cleaning up from a sick kid or “helping” finish a project for said kid, which you were just informed at bedtime, that needs to be turned in the following morning. Even when you do get some time away and grandparents or someone is watching your kids. You can’t shut your mind off thinking about things you need to get done around the house or something your kid needs. Now on the off chance that you are able to break away from that thought process that’s when the guilt comes in. It can hit you like a ton of bricks and you feel like you shouldn’t have this time by yourself because you need to spend more time with your kids. I mean they will only be this small once.
Now hear me out, I am not discounting you dads out there. It has been my experience that men have an easier time compartmentalizing different aspects of their life. You can be fully involved when you are with the kids and when you are out or at work you are able to be fully there. I wish I could be like that sometimes.
I think one of the biggest lies that we as women place upon ourselves is that mom guilt. Feeling guilty for taking time for self-care. We as moms wear ourselves too thin we have nothing left to give and hence why we break down in tears or get upset too quickly. The smallest thing can send you into an extreme response and that is because we are empty and have nothing left to give.
As moms especially we need to take time for ourselves and not feel guilty about it. I have recently started doing something that is just for me. On Fridays, I get up, get ready, send the kids off to school with my husband and I leave and head to a local coffee shop. I take my laptop and sometimes a book. Grab a LARGE caramel latte with half the caramel, I don’t like my latte too sweet, and I take time for myself. You might have a different way or activity that brings you life. You know how I mentioned a couple of posts back that I am working on a few things behind the scenes that I can’t mention yet. Well, this Friday morning coffee me time might play a big role in it. No, I’m not opening a coffee shop, however, that would be awesome because I love coffee but I can’t wait to share it with you. Just hang in with me for the time being. It’s going to be epic. Hopefully, I didn’t shoot myself in the foot for saying it’s going to be epic and it flops….. But I press on. Find what works for you to recharge and do it! Don’t let the guilt sink in and make you grumpy or depressed. You got this!
I pray that this blog today was an encouragement to you and can help in your daily life. Always know I am available to pray with you or just be someone to talk to when life gets hard. E-mail me at megan@churchanywhere.us if you need prayer!
Talk to you next Monday!