How to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood is my current state of mind as I am learning to be fearless in the pursuit of what sets my soul on fire. A baby truly changes everything and I took pride in embracing my calling as a mom. I mean I poured myself into being my girls’ mom that slowly but surely, I started to lose myself in motherhood.
My priorities started to shift the moment I held my first born in my arms. I couldn’t help falling in love with this precious baby whose very existence in the beginning depending mostly on me. I can’t forget the brutal transition from at least 8 hours of dream-filled sleep to having to stay pretty much up in order to feed this child around the clock but would not change it for the world.
I did my best to eat properly in order to keep the nutritious milk that my baby needed. They say to sleep when the baby sleeps but they forgot the part of the equation where I am supposed to try to take a shower and inhale some food before hearing her baby cries through the monitor. I was on survival mode because even though motherhood was definitely easier than they said, how to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood was harder than I thought.
When our youngest started preschool, I got so excited because I vow that it was time to love myself back. I think I got so excited that my priorities started shifting too fast for my girls’ taste. Our family went through some major ordeals, including the time Babygirl was taken to the Emergency Room because of Febrile Seizure.
I made the decision that time to take a break from business and social media in order to get back to some kind of normal. This was the best decision I have ever made in my motherhood journey. I came to the realization that the best way to serve my family was to learn all over how to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood because I started to stop being and just doing. I started missing being me and I felt it in every bone of my body. I also realized that the process of learning how to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood cannot be done by others. It simply starts with me!
The process has not been easy as I am tempted sometimes to fall into my old ways. How to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood takes a plan, otherwise it’s just a wish. I started being intentional in dedicating time for things that I love. For instance today I took time to do something I have been putting off for years and that is African dancing. Dancing has always been a love of mine but I forgot to make it a priority so I blasted some music and danced away. It felt so good that I have made a weekly date for the dancing queen in me to shine.
How to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood is becoming more a reality as I enlisted Hubby’s help along with my two oldest to keep me accountable. How to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood is reading when my girls are reading. How to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood is taking time to go for a run or walk because it’s so good for my soul.
I am seeing a sparkle in my eye since I made myself the priority. I am learning to say no to some things so that I can say yes to what I love. How to love myself and not lose myself in motherhood is the best gift I can give myself and my family and I am thankful it’s not too late to get it right. I definitely can’t stress enough how important it is for us moms to prioritize self-care and do something that sets our soul on fire because it’s so worthwhile.
The WELLthy Mom NODte:”Motherhood was never meant to put a period in your life but rather a comma in the pursuit of all that God has called you to be.” -Nathalie O’Donald
This post resonates strongly with me. I’ve been on this journey for a year and since June I feel well-balanced with my identity as mom, wife and my own pursuits.
That’s so wonderful to hear and being intentional is what makes this life journey a bit more balanced. Kudos to you and here’s to seeking healthy whole each day that comes our way in every area of our life.