4 Ways I Am Reclaiming Myself as A New Mother
1 - Sticking to A Morning Routine
Morning are when I come alive!!! I am a morning person. Prior to having to have my son my mornings were slow and easeful. I used the time to meditate, journal, move my body and have a warm cup of water with lemon. Having a child made all of that come to a screeching halt. Routines do not exist with small babies, they are as unpredictable as it gets. Who can have a morning routine when you didn’t even sleep the night before? However, now that my son is 15 months and is mostly sleeping through the night I have made a commitment to myself to begin my morning routine again. It typically looks like waking up around 5am. I wake up with the goal of movement, mediation, journaling and showering all before my son wakes up. If he does wake up my husband steps in until I am ready. Doing this early wake up has increased my mood exponentially and makes the days go so much smoother. I am able to show up better for myself and as a mother and a wife.
2 - Going to Sleep Earlier
This works directly with the first point. There is no way I would be able to wake up at 5 am if I wasn’t committed to going to sleep earlier. I now typically get into bed around 9:30-10pm most nights. This has ultimately meant cutting out a lot of television, which I consider to be am added benefit. Between having my son and going to bed earlier I may consume one episode of a show every few days. The quality of my sleep also increased, most morning I wake up without an alarm and feeling well rested.
3 - Eliminating Alcohol
Over the years I have gone between a desire to stop drinking and not wanting to give up my love for wine. I will go into more detail with this in another post but for now I will say that removing alcohol from my diet has allowed my mind to be much clearer. It has forced me to not completely detach at the end of the night or while we’re out to eat as a family. I’m not saying that I will never drink again but for right now I am enjoying being alcohol free.
4 - Hydrating More
Over the past year I have made sure that we never leave the house without my son’s thermos because I know that hydration is essential for him. Meanwhile I would act like I didn’t need that same level of hydration. I would literally be dry inside, barely have taken a sip of water all day but as long as he had his cup everything was fine. Recently I realized I needed to show myself with the same level of care and attentiveness that I had been showing him. I purchased myself a travel cup, yes, one of those you see all the moms carrying around like its their security blanket. As trendy as it is, it actually works. I am drinking more water now than I was before and my body is thanking me for it.
If you’re a new mom please start to think of ways your can start centering yourself and your wellbeing again. Remember the actions don’t have to be big to be effective. Choose something and try your best to stick to it.
Affirmation:
I consistently and intentionally pour into myself before I pour into others.
