Calling All Supermoms!
Whether it is personal or societal pressure, many of us are striving to live up to the expectation of “supermom”. No matter our title; stay at home mom, working mom, or somewhere in between, it is likely that we have experienced how tiring it can be to chase littles, sit in the pickup line, get to work on time, make supper night after night, pack snacks for playdates and keep our family calendar in check. While motherhood is a wonderful blessing, we can sometimes find ourselves putting everyone else above ourselves, forgetting to take care of our own health. The reality is we can’t do it all, we can’t be everything for everyone, and it is okay to take the time needed to rest, recharge, and put ourselves first from time to time. If we neglect ourselves and our health now, we will pay the price later as that repetitive stress adds up over time.
In modern life, stressful events unfortunately aren’t always isolated. Instead, it is everywhere, always, and often we are so busy that we don’t even have enough time to rest before the next stressor shows up. As a result, our bodies begin to break down and this can directly affect our body’s delicate balance of hormones. This disruption can then spiral into a variety of health concerns, adrenal fatigue being one of them. Adrenal fatigue is a result of our body lacking the ability to adapt and respond to stress. When we are in a constant state of fight or flight, our body stops producing the proper hormones to keep things functioning optimally. Adrenal fatigue can cause high stress, feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, fatigue, restless sleep, trouble concentrating, brain fog, among many other things. These symptoms make it difficult to show up and be present for our families and those around us. This is a big reason it is so important to take care of ourselves. If we can work towards healthy stress management sooner rather than later, our bodies will thank us.
As a busy mom where do we even start?
It often times feels like the day is not long enough to get everything done, let alone make time for us. Occasionally it causes more stress to even think about carving out that time. Good news is, starting small can have a greater impact than we may think. Taking a walk, spending time outside, drinking a glass of water, listening to your favorite song, calling a friend or loved one, taking a bath or soaking up some sun are all little things to help us reset. A little self-care can go a long way, so just remember that. When you have 5 minutes to spare in your day give yourself grace to catch your breath and sit down. The best way to show up as our best selves is to make sure we create space to care for us.