Treat Yourself with Kindness

One of my favorite things about blogging is the opportunity to open up conversations with those who read this space. Thank you for the comments and emails. I especially enjoy meeting new people and getting to know other parents from around the world. Recent emails have brought on new friendships and I love a good friendship. 

It's always fun to know that no matter our life circumstances we're all on the same boat, just trying to do our best for those whom we love. And that includes ourselves. As we grow we seem to forget the importance of caring for ourselves too! For parents this is often seen as a selfish thought, so hear me out. Simple example, I find it important to exercise 3 times a week so that I can be physically strong and fit enough to keep up with the energetic baby boy. This may not seem like a big deal but it is to me, not only for the health benefits but because it allows me some me time. 

Taking care of oneself is often the last thing on a parent's mind and it might not even make it to the 'to do list' - can you tell that I'm a to do list person? Something dear husband likes to say is "happy wife, happy life". And it's true! Women have many a talent, and one of these is the ability to bring light into a home bbbbut we are also capable of creating an unhappy space. This doesn't mean that the happiness of all depends solely on us. At the end of the day we all have the responsibility to choose a positive emotional state of mind. But now we're talking about the lady of the house. Because of our great responsibilities (which is hopefully shared with husband), we owe it to ourselves to be the best that we can be. A good place to start is by thinking back to positive things that you may have enjoyed before the current life. Revisiting these ideas will help map out a route to bringing back your personal spark. It might be hanging out with friends minus baby and husband, going shopping, taking up a sport, a weekend away, whatever tickles your fancy or rather whatever your wallet can allow. What about that hobby you've always wanted to try out? Or just chilling for 2hrs and reading your scriptures and getting into a good book, all uninterrupted. Get a Do Not Disturb sign if this will help.

Moments alone are good. They are healthy. They are necessary. And nobody is going to schedule that time for you. In all life's busy days, you owe it to yourself to reconnect with YOU. And you'll find that as you make yourself a priority and treat yourself with more kindness, you'll have more love for those who depend on you.You might even experience more appreciation from those around you.

I'm incredibly grateful to have attended church a few weeks ago when these thoughts were a part of the Relief Society lesson. I had been playing with ideas on how to become a more well rounded person when I realized that I didn't pay myself much attention. In a room full of women I realized that this was a common problem, we put others first and treat ourselves as second class citizens. Well since then I've re arranged some things. And I know this totally sounds like an like one of those weird advertisement with punchlines. But know that I'm not selling a product, just sharing a thought that has brought much joy into our home. That you matter, so treat yourself with kindness.