Ameenah FrancoisMotherhood: Establishing Your Legacy of Health
I can still remember the day, when my mother looked at me, while I was holding my first daughter and said, “I am available to help care for her so that you can care for yourself whenever you need.”
I thanked her for offering to watch my daughter when I needed a break but it wasn't until years later that I realized how loaded her statement was.
As a child, I don't recall seeing my mother devote time to herself. I only recall her working and taking care of us. She was an amazing mother who selflessly gave of herself to her children, family, and friends and I often wonder what she did to rejuvenate during those many years of childrearing.
Once my siblings and I were grown, it was fun to watch her enjoy life on her terms. I loved seeing her refreshed, full of life, and doing what she wanted to do.
As for me, self-care was still a great challenge during the first ten years of being a mom. I fell into unhealthy patterns of ignoring my checkups, staying up late, picking up fast food too often, and sitting more than I was moving. I was too busy, too tired, and too focused on what was less than ideal in my life. I felt like no one could really understand how I felt, but how could they? I didn’t talk about my feelings. In everyone else's eyes, I was the one who had it all together. That couldn't be farther from the truth.
Later, I found myself in therapy. I couldn't even answer the therapist's question when I was asked, "What do you for yourself?" Eventually, I was prompted to commit to a goal to take better care of myself. Week after week, I would return with no progress to report but I was determined to make self-care a priority.
With a lot of prayer, support, and hard work, I started to take my commitment seriously. Now, I'm thriving.
I know self-care has become a bit of a buzzword these days but my focus on self-care includes an intentional focus on the often forgotten everyday practices – not just the glitzy, glamorous things. Self-care has to be about recognizing the anxiety, depression, and stress and actually doing something about it that produces long-term results.
My desire is to encourage mamas today to make true self-care part of their everyday experience so that their little ones can grow up developing a healthy definition of what it really looks like.
Journal Prompts:
Are you building yourself up with affirming words?
Are you getting enough sleep?
Are you moving your body daily?
Do you regularly do something that brings you joy?