How many times did I postpone making that appointment to see my doctor? How many times did I miss going to the gym because I did not want to be late for work and how many times did I refuse to have a little rest even when I was tired or feeling sick? The answer is countless times. So much that I cannot attempt to keep count. Don’t even talk about how many times I ‘squeezed’ myself into old undersized clothes because I wanted to shop for the kids and not for myself.
These are not overstretched confessions but the everyday truths about most moms. I just celebrated another birthday a few days ago and I have since been asking myself some questions. I have been reflecting on a host of things which I am going to be writing about and sharing with all of you in the weeks to follow. One of the things I have been reflecting on is how well I have or have not taken care of myself and ways to improve upon that aspect of my life. From this reflection, I can honestly say that I have made some great strides in my life and enjoying and making some good of the things that are important to me. But just like any other thing in life, there is still room for improvement. One of the things I have resorted to improving upon is taking a more proactive approach to taking better care of myself and not feel guilty about it. As moms, it can be hard sometimes not to have guilt when it comes to doing things for ourselves or taking time off for ourselves. Most moms including myself will not dare to put food in their mouths unless the kids have eaten. Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with this. It only becomes a problem when the compromise involves our health and well-being.
One Friday morning last year, I woke up with a Tummy Ache. But just like any other morning, my focus was taking care of the kids, getting them to eat breakfast, getting them to school and getting to work on time. I have people who depend on me at work too. I was willing to pass my tummy ache as something trivial just so I could be there for the people who depends on me. My pain got worse and worse by the time I got to work. As always, I went about my business, getting everyone what they needed for the day. But a few hours into my work day, the pain became unbearable and I finally surrendered to go to the emergency room. The pain was unbearable and I have had natural birth before. So figure that one out. As soon as I got to the emergency room, I had to be rushed to the OR. My appendix was near rapture. Thankfully, everything went great with the procedure and I was discharged 48 hours later. Well, as for my workplace, business went on as usual without me. My kids had to live without me for two days for the first time.
You see as moms, we sometimes make the mistake of putting our own needs aside in an attempt to taking care of the people we love and those who depend on us. But from all indications, taking care of ourselves is part of our duty and responsibility towards our loved ones. I cannot reiterate this fact enough. Our dependents and loved ones need us to be happy, healthy and well.
This mothers day, give the gift of telling yourself that you will need to first save yourself in order to be around for the people who need you the most. There is nothing to feel guilty about. Your loved ones will be much happier with this and you will be around longer to keep taking care of them. This Mother’s Day, I am going to make this resolve to taking better care of myself. I hope you will all join me in doing the same. Happy Mother’s Day…
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