"I was sitting on the floor of my son’s room crying. How much longer can I manage with little to no sleep and no time to myself without really losing it?"
That was a low point and was the night that Tim had to take Charlie off me and put him to bed and deal with whatever the night threw at him while I fell apart in a separate room.
Over the past 4 years there have been a few times when I have really felt that I am failing as a mother.
My patience is tested multiple times a day and sometimes I would lose my temper…and then the guilt started and more often than not I would be the one saying sorry and then overcompensating with treats and promises to buy him the latest Nerf gun. But that all changed...
When Charlie was about 2 ½ I went for the first run I had been on since before I was pregnant and bloody hell it was haaaard. I think I managed about 15 mins (including walking) and boy were my legs on FIRE!
I thought I was going to die but then something amazing happened, once I had started the (very) slow walk back home I started to feel AMAZING!
It’s hard to explain and I can only assume it was those wonderful endorphins but I was buzzing! Absolutely buzzing, I felt a sense of achievement and I felt free. I’d had 15 minutes completely to myself.
I made a promise to myself that day to make time for myself every week. Now this is easier said than done when you have small children and I am in complete awe of single parents who do not have help but I am lucky because I have a Tim!
Now don't get me wrong he runs his own business and works over the weekends a lot so I found ways to make it work. I get up earlier, I spend an hour or so on Sundays (when he is not working) in the bath or out swimming in freezing cold rivers (more on that another day but everyone needs to try cold water swimming!)
I truly believe that everyone needs to dedicate time to self care, and that can be anything from drinking your cup of coffee in the garden before anyone else in the house is up to walking the dog in the evening.
Baby steps and consistency are so, so important and that is why I have created the Self Care Journal to help you start to get a bit of me time into your life and honestly, you will not look back.
When we put ourselves first and make sure we are happy and fulfilled we then have the space inside us to take on our children's fears and issues and we have the patience to deal with the behaviour that goes with that.
Click on the picture to download:
30 day self care challenge
How to make a gratitude jar
Habit tracker
& lots more!
Let's start this journey together to claim back some me time and remember that we are more than just a mum!
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Love
Anna xo
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