Everyday is Mother's Day

​Everyday is Mother’s Day!
 
There is a moment in every mother’s life when they realize that Motherhood is a 24/7 365 day a year job. It could be when you are up at 3 am for the third night in a row with a teething baby, the time you have to cut a business trip short to run home to field car pool from a neighbor who flaked out, or the moment your child becomes a mother themselves and you realize they will always be your little baby. Parenting is the toughest job there is. There are no days off. There is no real time away. Once you are devoted, once you are in love, once you are there, you are there.
 
Out tendency as caregivers is to give. We give it all. We give whatever is needed at the moment it is needed, but that often that means we forget to give to the one person who is giving the most: ourselves.
 
Chronic fatigue, exhaustion, feelings of being overwhelmed, and even depression can set in when we forget to give to ourselves. If we never fill up our own cups, we run on empty and have nothing left to give.
 
Self care is defined as any way in which we care for our selves. Be it physical: eating, sleeping, exercise, meditation, or emotional: love, creativity, connection, relationships, we need to take care of this body, mind, and spirit that we have been given in order to survive and thrive in life.
 
Knowing what our needs are in order to take care of our selves is the first step. Some people can handle only getting five hours of sleep a night. Some people can’t function without eight to ten. Some people are morning people. Some people are night owls. Some need to eat every two hours or they get light headed. Some can go for a day without even thinking about eating and then eat dinner for an hour straight.
 
Knowing what your body’s need are and who you are as a person means you can learn to adjust the constant demands of parenting with a bit more energy to meet those demands!
 
Mindfulness is being present in the moment to the needs we have each given moment. Are you feeling light headed before your child’s baseball game? Mindfulness means becoming aware. Did you eat? Keeping a snack in the car for Mom and not just for kids for those hangry moments is good self care!
 
Do you dread the morning chaos and can barely function at all? Accept that you aren’t a morning person and set up breakfast, clothes, backpacks, and everything you need for the next day the night before. Know yourself and your needs and adjusting your life around it is good self care!
 
MindfulnessMothers.com is creating Self Care Kits that you can do alone or with friends to learn some simple Mindfulness techniques that will fine tune those mindfulness muscles and fill up your cup so that you have the energy to face the demands of parenting. For as we all know, every day is Mother’s Day!
 
Learn what your needs are using the Feel Stress Free app to keep track of your moods and needs. It’s great way to keep track and give you tools like mindfulness and meditation to fill up your cup daily!
 
*In honor of Mother’s Day, Feel Stress Free is offering you a complimentary try it out coupon code! Go to App Store and type in Feel Stress Free and use code: FSFMAY300417
code FSFMAY300417
 
Celebrate you, your mom, your spouse, and your friends and be mindful of the needs and care we all have to be our best in this world!  
 
- Jeannine Proulx