Choose You Today!

Guess what Mamas? Recently, I took a half-day from work to get my hair done and I don’t feel guilty about it one bit.

To top it off, all of my Paid Time Off (PTO) is just about depleted from being off for a month due to COVID-19 back in September. I actually think these four hours may put me in the negative.

It’s all good though. I haven’t had my hair done in over three months. I have locs and after months without tender loving care, they grew dull and tangled at the roots. But you know what, I needed this. It felt good to allow myself to just sit back, relax and be taken care of for a moment.

As moms, many of us spend day after day tending to the needs of others while our needs for self-care are unmet. Each day, we get the kids ready in the morning, we fix their meals, we get them ready for bed…we try to maintain laundry and other household duties…we work jobs…and the list goes on and on.

Moms, for various reasons, find themselves overwhelmed with parenting because of a lack of extended family, a lack of resources or even just a lack of trust or comfort with the childcare options around us.

But you know what, as caregivers, we are not our best if we are not able to take care of ourselves at some point. Lack of self-care is a recipe for disaster. We will find ourselves stressed, physically and emotionally drained, and not the best Mamas we can be.

Within the last few months, I have made a commitment to myself to do better at making time for me. Therefore, if it means taking a few hours off from work during the week to take care of myself, then so be it.

It may take some time to get there, like it has for me, but I want to encourage my fellow moms out there to find a way to make time some for you. Join me on my journey Mamas. I’m still working on it and I have some ways to go, but I am taking steps.

If you need some creative ideas on how to do this, let me know. We can figure it out together. For now, here are a few ideas:

• Join your local YMCA for childcare options while you exercise or even just sit in another area of The Y and read a book
• Find a trusted babysitter through a mom group on Facebook or Care.com to watch your little ones while you step away for a bit
• If you have the energy, while the kids are still sleep, take an extra hot bath or spend time doing something you love for a bit

Be inspired Mamas to take care of yourself. You deserve it. Your children will get a better version of you if you do.

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