A few weeks ago I was sitting around the table at my moms group and we began discussing things that we do once we finally have a moment to ourselves. It started as a conversation of how we indulge ourselves the moment everyone has gone to bed, as “me” time that we desperately need but rarely ever get. Then we started talking about how most of the things we do, all at the expense of sleeping, are mundane and menial activities. Even worse, they end up making us feel worse about ourselves when we constantly compare to others. We spend all this time trying to find a happiness that doesn’t always come with the role of simply being a mother, but rarely find the acceptance and contentment with who we really are. In short, the idea of a perfect mother who finds full satisfaction in her role alone doesn’t truly exist. So let’s stop creating some of our bad habits that we’ve been using to fill our quest for happiness, and start new ones that will help us accept ourselves. Read on for some of the common habits you may catch yourself doing!
1. First Things First: Email
I am probably the most guilty person on the planet at this. I wake up, turn on my phone, and check my email. Part of me wants to blame it on the fact that I hate that red notification telling me there’s something waiting for me. But I have to be honest and say that I just want to know what’s happened in the 8 hours I’ve been sleeping. There is nothing so urgent in your email that should be put before waking up and seeing your gorgeous children, so put the phone in a drawer and get up. Your email won’t miss you.