Rediscovering "Sarah"
One morning I woke up, and my world was literally spinning in circles. I had no clue what has happening and I was terrified. To make a long story short, I was transported to the ER by ambulance and diagnosed with vertigo.
The diagnosis was a true wake up call for me. Although, now that I’m able to reflect on the whole ordeal, I should have seen it coming. My 4th born was 10 months old at the time, and I hadn’t taken a moment for myself in at least that long. I was giving everything to my children, husband, work and home, and some days the only “break” I had was when I was using the bathroom. And to be honest, there was always at least one child in there with me, sometimes 2, depending if my toddler was in the room or not.
I was short-tempered with my family, and every night before bed I would be upset about that and remind myself to be more patient and present the following day, but it never seemed to happen. We cannot give to others what we ourselves do not possess, and at that point I was running on empty.
When I was finally feeling better after the vertigo attack, I started speaking with other moms about their mothering experience and quickly realized I was not alone in feeling like I had lost my sense of self in the process. Many moms felt the exact same way.
As women and moms, we are beyond busy. Always doing something, driving somewhere, making sure everything is in order and trying to take care of ourselves.
Somehow, it is easy for us to put ourselves last on the priority list and by the time the day is over and we remember we didn’t pause for even one minute during the day, it feels like too much work and we have nothing left to give. Not even to ourselves.
Because I knew I needed a new reality, and now had the information that many moms also felt ready for one, I tried something for 3 weeks. I set aside a few minutes daily to care for and connect with myself to see if it would change my reality. I implemented simple practices, like taking a few minutes to consciously breathe, or going for a walk outside, and to my amazement everything shifted. It’s been more than a year now of my making sure to take at least a few minutes daily to care for myself, and my entire reality has changed.
My days look very different. I am able to be more present and patient with my children. My husband and I are more connected than we have been in a long time. There is less yelling and tension in my home. And the cherry on top, I remember who “Sarah” is.
I am hosting a live call, “How to Rediscover You in Motherhood: simple techniques that help you reconnect w
ith yourself and strengthen your family’s bond” on Wednesday, September 27th at 7pm (EST) and I would love for you to join me.
If you’re interested, kindly email me at sarah@maternalessence.com and I will send along the details.
I look forward to connecting with you!
