As I write this, it’s 6:30 on a weekday morning. I’m sipping hot black coffee and eating creamy overnight oats. The only sound in my house is the click-clack of my keyboard. Silence. Bliss.
Ah, yes. We’ve reached the stage where the baby is sleeping enough (barely, we were still up twice last night, but enough) where I can wake up before the kids and enjoy a quiet, peaceful morning.
It’s magical. Seriously. Not only do I actually get to drink my coffee while it’s hot and chew my food, but it helps me feel on top of the day rather than struggling to catch up. I am more mindful of my time with the kids when they do wake up, and I can somehow stay calm through the chaos of getting them both ready for the day.
This is one of the biggest gifts I give to myself as a mom: quiet mornings to myself. Have you tried this? If not, you should consider it. You don’t even need an hour – it could be 15-20 minutes. That will be enough, I promise.
And don’t worry, I’m not going to suggest you meditate or drink some weird concoction of lemon and turmeric. Although, go for it if that’s your thing. The truth is, it doesn’t usually matter what I do with this time as long as I also get in a quick shower. Today I worked out and am now typing this post, yesterday I worked on a professional development course I’m taking, tomorrow I will probably scroll through Instagram. The point is that it’s quiet – the real reason they call it the “calm before the storm.”
Other mom gifts I give myself include:
- No guilt. I work and I love my job. And honestly, I was kind of relieved to go back to work this time around. And I don’t even feel one bit of guilt about it. Sure, I miss my kids during the day, but they are better off and so am I. Whatever the thing is you feel guilty about – choose not to.
- A messy house. My house is a disaster right now. I mean things are generally put away in their place, but I don’t remember the last time I dusted or washed the windows. It’s just not a priority right now. I try to do little things here and there – last night while dinner was cooking and before the kids and husband got home, I managed to Swiffer the floors. But other than that…oh well.
- Grace about my postpartum body. Getting into the swing of working out has been harder this time! One reason is my little guy doesn’t like sleeping or consistency, although we’re getting there. I also had a tougher recovery (hello, 9-pound baby), so I have been really focused on healing even at 15 weeks postpartum (fun fact: you aren’t really fully recovered at six weeks, but I digress). I also got myself into trouble last time with my milk supply – I think my intense exercising caused it to dip. I want to avoid that again. So my priorities are different, which means everything is just going to take a little longer. And I’m weirdly okay with that. I’m squeezing in regular exercise because it’s energizing and stress-reducing, but not worrying too much about my weight or body shape right now.
Try to identify points of stress, concern and guilt in your life, and figure out a way to gift yourself some peace and control.
Cheryl
Enjoyed the read. Interesting insight.