Just take 5 minutes to stop take a moment to appreciate yourself and what you’ve done today to be proud of. It can be anything, anything that you’ve battled with, something small but that seems such a mountain. Something you’ve overcome? Something you’ve accomplished that you didn’t think you could? Maybe you’ve juggled everything from kids, shopping, cleaning etc and done loads of things on a to do list? Maybe you’ve had a really challenging day at work, thinking you’ll never get through everything you needed to? Maybe you’ve just made a start on putting a goal or plan in place? Whatever it is, just appreciate you as a person. We get so bogged down with whatever is going on in our lives and sometimes we may have that feeling of not achieving anything or feeling bad because of things we HAVEN’T done, when really we should be super proud of what we HAVE done. Don’t deny yourself of that value or self worth or accomplishment. We all have struggles, we all have bad days, we all have things we put ourselves down about, we all have days where we’ve not done all that we set out to do and it gets overwhelming when we think of all the negative stuff, but just stop 🛑 and give yourself a proud pat on the back for things you actually have achieved. For some, it could just be getting up to face the day, it could be getting out the house to go for a walk, for others it could be just doing your everyday to day parenting duties, you’re all superheroes, you’re doing the best job in the world feeding, providing for and nurturing your children, sacrificing everything yourself for to ensure they have the best. This is our natural instinct as parents of course but nevertheless we as parents still suffer sometimes and don’t get enough sleep, enough time, probably don’t eat properly when we should. But don’t beat yourself up about things. If you get to the end of the day and feel bad as the day hasn’t gone to plan, just remember you are amazing and are doing great even if you doubt yourself sometimes. Be proud of yourself. Love who you are, appreciate yourself for what you do and every mountain you’ve climbed, no matter how big or small.
Blog
Midweek Motivation
Do you ever feel stuck in a rut? Ever feel like sometimes all of your motivation goes? Do you wake up thinking you just can’t deal with the day and you’d rather shut yourself away? Do you have trouble sleeping or find that you wake up a lot and your mind is sooooo active at 3am?! Over thinking over analysing or thinking about really weird and stupid things that have no relevance at that moment when all you want is to sleep?! Why does your brain do that?! So annoying isn’t it! We all probably get times where this happens or you’re stuck in a rut and you lose your ‘get up & go’ but It’s normal. It’s ok to lose direction or go off the path sometimes. But it’s how you refocus and get back to moving forwards. We all need a little motivational boost sometimes. What ever is holding you back or making you lose focus or motivation just know these simple things:
*Everybody cries, everybody hurts (wise words REM 😜)
*Don’t compare yourself to others.
*Everyone moves at different speeds and does things in different ways and stages. We are all unique.
*Everyone has bad days.
*Everyone feels crap or feels they’ve made a wrong decision at some point.
*No one is perfect. We all make mistakes.
*Don’t dwell on the past or the negative. Learn from it.
*The people who really love and care about you will be there no matter what, even on your bad days & when you’re feeling down.
*You can’t please everyone, just be yourself.
*The ones who matter will be there.
*Never chase someone for love, attention or affection, if it’s not given freely it’s not worth having.
*Be grateful and thankful for what you have.
*You can’t control everything.
*Have faith and trust that everything will work out.
*Hope is a liar that walks blindly through the fire, Faith jumps eyes wide open over the flames
*Believe in yourself.
You have more power and strength in you than you know.
Learn to love who you are, there is only 1 you.
One life, live it well
I thought it would be appropriate to write about love. Not mushy stuff I promise. Just a few things I’d like to share. Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love, showing loved ones how much you love them and appreciate them. or for some it’s an opportunity to show secret crushes how we feel. But it’s not for everyone. We should spend more time showing the people we love how we feel everyday not just today. It can also be very difficult day for some people. The ones who haven’t found that special someone, or who can’t be with their loved ones for what ever reason. Let’s spread the love and best wishes to everyone today, whether you’re in love or not. Another thing to remember is, do not be careless or reckless with people’s hearts and minds. Do not allow people to be careless or reckless with yours. Life is too short and too precious to spend it worrying or wasting time on people who don’t give you the same consideration in return. No matter how near or far, how often you see each other is irrelevant, if you want to make the effort to stay in touch then you will. It takes seconds to send a message/email. Life moves on and goes past so quickly, choose who you share it with carefully. Don’t have regrets, you can only learn from your mistakes and they’ve made you who you are. Mistakes can make your stronger, wiser. Don’t look back, only look forward. Live for the now, make the most of every day, every moment. You can’t fail if you don’t give up. If something hasn’t worked or not turned out right it doesn’t mean you’ve failed at it, you’ve just learned how to do something different or a better way next time. Take a different path and go round obstacles, keep pushing forward, dreams,hopes, ambitions, goals, aspirations, only stop if you stop. You can’t control everything. You can only take responsibility for your actions. If people don’t want to be with you, then you have to ask yourself, are they really worthy of you in the first place? Don’t be with someone who doesn’t want to be with you. Don’t give your heart if it won’t be returned. It’s hard at the beginning, if someone gives up on you, or if things don’t work out and you just drift apart. Whatever the reason breaking up is really tough. The emptiness, the heartache, the loneliness, it feels like it’ll never end. You can feel like you’ve failed. You wonder how you’ll be with anyone else. But it gets easier, learn to love yourself first, be with someone who loves you unconditionally for who you are, no matter what. Time is the most precious thing we have and something you can never get back. Choose how you spend it wisely. A good friend once said to me “It’ll all be ok in the end, and if it’s not ok, then it’s not the end” I totally believe this, even through the darkest times, when things are thrown at you that you didn’t expectand life may feel like it will never be the same again, the light will return, and happiness will be found again, even if it’s slightly different from how it was before, everything in time will be ok somehow. You are stronger than you know. Only you can decide how your story goes. Make the rest of your life the best of your life. It’s never too late to reach your dreams. You’re never too old to make a new goal. If you have a hunger and a passion for something you want to do, don’t let someone else stand in your way. You only get 1 life, don’t live it in a lie, follow your heart, live your truth. Don’t look back with regrets. Take a chance, choose to have faith, not hope. Trust your inner strength. Only you can get yourself where you want to be. Start your day with positivity and gratitude. Make it count. You came into this world with nothing and will leave with nothing, make everything else in between as valuable, worthwhile, meaningful and memorable as you can.
Be kind, Be bold, shine bright, believe in yourself.
“I’m ok I’m just tired”
When someone asks if you’re ok or how you are, or ‘you don’t seem yourself?’ All you can say is ‘I’m tired’ because it’s the easiest and safest thing to say. Like it’s just that you didn’t sleep well last night and just need a couple of hours sleep or just a little rest over the weekend and you’ll be fine by Monday. How it would all be so easy to fix. But sadly in most cases that’s just not it. For anxiety and depression sufferers, ‘tiredness’ isn’t just needing a couple of hours sleep. You can’t just snap out of it. It is not a choice. It’s a mental and emotional torment that is draining every piece of you constantly. Behind the fake smile and nervous jokes, behind the pretence and facade, it’s a deep dark place that you’re trapped in. Where you are tired, so desperately tired, but it’s being tired of the pain, the noises in your head, the restlessness, the worrying, the torment, the self doubt, no self esteem, no self worth. Tired of irrational thoughts, feeling like you don’t matter, feeling like a failure, that your worthless, unimportant, useless. In so many cases, tired of life, tired of the world. Feeling worse because you’re frustrated with yourself, feeling like you are a burden to everyone. Wanting to just stop and get off the ever spinning rollercoaster. I know all too well how it feels to be ‘tired’ and alone. But there are so many people to help and support you. You are not alone. It can feel like the loneliest place in the world, even if you’re surrounded by loving people but please know you don’t need to suffer in silence. You don’t need to go through this on your own. Together we are stronger.
The Silent Struggle
How often do you find yourself struggling with just the day to day? It’s nothing to be ashamed about. It’s not necessarily that you find things a struggle every day, just sometimes, or now and then, but never-the-less, a struggle. I think as parents, we hate to admit it. We don’t want to seem like we can’t cope. But that’s not what makes a bad parent. It doesn’t make you an unfit parent. It’s what makes us normal and human. Not one child is the same and not one situation is the same. Everybody deals with things differently. Some days can be amazing, wonderful and happy. Other days are really testing and you don’t feel you’ve achieved anything. The baby has cried all day and you feel useless.
As wonderful and amazing as it is to be blessed with a child and to become a parent, there is no question that sometimes it’s really tough. Test’s you to your limits. It’s the sleepless nights, the hours of swaying, shushing, rocking, cradling, putting down, picking back up, driving round for hours or pushing in the pram to get to sleep, it’s the tiredness, the not settling, the baby who won’t feed/latch on, food intolerances, feeding issues, weening dramas, tantrums, the colic, the crying that seems to never stop some days. The days when you can’t get anything done, when you haven’t managed to get out of your pyjamas or had a shower, hardly had anything to eat yourself and can’t remember the last time you drank a HOT drink. The piles of washing, drying, ironing, the tidying, cleaning, cooking, preparing that seems never ending. When everything makes you doubt yourself as mother and feel like everything you’re doing is wrong. When you can’t seem to settle them sometimes, no matter how hard you try, and it feels like they are crying/screaming AT you. How, in the madness of those days where you’re exhausted beyond all comprehension, have no make-up on, your hair looks like a you’ve been dragged through a hedge, you’re up to your elbows changing a mammoth crappy nappy for the 3rd time in an hour, to then pick them up for a cuddle when they are sick all down your top that you’ve only just put on after getting spilt coffee and half eaten toast down the last one, the door goes and it’s the postman with a parcel that you have to sign for, so you put your baby down, to which he/she screams it’s head off as he/she doesn’t want to be left for 0.1 of a millisecond and the postman just looks at your current state and delicately says ‘having a rough morning love?’ It’s here in these moments when you think how some people seem to gracefully prance and twirl through motherhood so effortlessly and beautifully and yet here you are battling through every hour like a mad person looking like utter road kill. If you are one of these like me, trust me, it gets easier, you do eventually figure it out and get your shit together. Don’t ever feel down hearted or doubt your ability as a parent. There’s no rule book, there’s no real ‘how to guide’ everydayis a learning curve and you will always be thrown new things to deal with.
You also have your multitude of emotions to deal with, that make you feel parallel opposites most of the time. It’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed, emotional, happy and sad all at the same time. Sometimes you’ll cry for no apparent reason. But the important thing is that it’s ok and you’re not mad or crazy. It’s so important to talk about how you’re feeling, and if you need help with anything, even if you feel like you want to try and deal with everything on your own, YOU ARE NOT A SUPERHERO! Nobody expects you to be. Just because you feel emotional, drained, exhausted, like you have to manage everything but can’t- this doesn’t make you a bad parent or a failure!! You are doing an amazing job whether you believe it or not.
You have to look after yourself. If you aren’t functioning properly then you will suffer. Happy mummy, happy baby.Don’t ever compare yourself to others. Don’t let people’s opinions get to you. It doesn’t matter what other people think. People will always judge, but all that matters is you, your family and what you think is best.
For all you parents, whichever stage you’re at, whatever ups and downs, through the good and bad, you can do this. I believe in you. You’re doing great.
Ditch The Doubt!
It’s amazing how many times you doubt yourself as a mother. Or at least doubt your ability and if you’re doing the right thing for your child, making the best decision? How, all of a sudden you are blessed with this precious gift and are totally and utterly responsible for everything. Every single decision is on your head. This new little life is placed in your hands and no matter how many classes you attend or books you read or friend’s children you help babysit, nothing compares to having your own child. There is no rule book, no manual, no real ‘How to’ guide. There’s no real right or wrong, because everyone is different has an idea on how they’d like to parent. It’s just your instinct and those of others advice and experience. From that second, you question everything. Also to throw into the equation, is the pressure from other people who think their opinion and what they think, is right.
That pressure and feeling of being judged is there constantly. People giving their opinion on sleep routines, co-sleeping, feeding- whether ‘breast is best’ or bottle feeding, how to do this or that, whether they should be put into nursey at such a young age or be at home as long as possible, whatever it may be.
The thing is, no one’s situation or circumstance is exactly the same as someone else’s so it doesn’t really matter what other people say or think. It’s what is best for you and your child and your situation. Some people don’t have a choice on childcare or being able to stay at home. Some people can’t breast feed- or struggle with it and therefore are unhappy. I’ve always been told ‘happy mummy, happy baby’ especially when it came to breast feeding. I was lucky enough to be able to breast feed for approx. 3 months but then it became a struggle and Mia wasn’t getting what she needed, I cried a thousand tears, we were struggling all through the night, both of us exhausted, and therefore not sleeping well and being grouchy. This, in turn made me feel miserable and I felt like I’d failed. I switched to bottle feeding and Mia was happier and slept so much better. I could relax a bit more. It also meant it was less stressful going out anywhere because I found feeding so difficult in general but especially in public. I wasn’t one of these mothers that just could easily and casually whip out a boob and gracefully feed under a blanket. It didn’t come easily for me and sadly there is still so much stigma about feeding in public, which is such a shame, and to be honest shouldn’t make mothers feel insecure but sadly does. I completely respect and have so much admiration for mothers that breast feeding comes easy for. For me, being able to not worry about any of that and sharing feeds with her Dad was better for us all as a family and I finally let go of the guilt of not being able to feed her myself. I think a lot of mummies do put pressure on themselves for this. But I must stress that you don’t need to. You’re not alone and it’s ok to have these feelings of guilt. But you’re doing the best job and not to be hard on yourself. What’s important is that your baby is content and you are happy.
Your gut feeling and instinct as a mother is like no other. All of a sudden you obtain this almost superhero power. Don’t doubt it. It’s the most valuable tool you have. Use it and embrace it. Remember, what is best or what has worked for someone else might not be the same for you.
From the moment you become a mother, you go through so many emotional rollercoasters. Your body goes through more physical hurdles and albeit for a good reason, you are tested to the limit mentally, emotionally and physically, probably more than you ever will be in your life.
The one thing I’ve learnt is, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Mia’s dad was amazing and very hands on and helpful but I just wanted to be able to cope and do everything and manage without having to ask. I wanted to be able to get on with the feeds, the nappy changes, the bath times, the cooking, the washing, housework, cleaning and everyday stuff because on the outside everyone else seemed to be a natural at all this. But Mia wasn’t a great sleeper and I was exhausted. I was conscious of trying to do the night feeds mostly on my own because Mia’s dad had to be up early for work and had very long days on his feet all day. Tiredness is so underestimated. Sleep deprivation can cause real problems and can really affect your health. Obviously as a new mum, you’re going to be tired to some degree and you will feel shattered, but there is a limit on what you can do with the little energy you actually have. Extreme lack of sleep can cause paranoia, nausea, headaches, hallucinations, stress, anxiety, lack of judgement and concentration. You need to take care of yourself as well as the baby. If you’re not functioning then this isn’t good. I remember ringing my Dad one day in tears as I had just reached the limit of sheer exhaustion and I was drained. The problem was, I never wanted to let her out of my sight and it was like I never truly trusted anyone else with her. I know that sounds crazy but that’s how I felt. But something had to give. He came and took her out for the day so I could sleep and get myself back to some sort of ‘normal’ functioning state.
Some days can be really tough, some days you might struggle to see how you’ll make it through the day. Some days, you might not get anything done, you might not get dressed, you might not get chance to eat. You might not get to put the washing on or do the ironing. This is normal and most people experience this. You will eventually find your own way and routine. Eventually you’ll get it together and you will be able to actually eat and get dressed and get yourself out and about. To begin with, it does feel overwhelming, and you don’t know which way to turn or what to do next but most mothers feel like this to start with. You’ve gone from a life where all you have to do is take care of yourself, you can come and go as you please, eat when you want, sleep when you want. Then all of a sudden you’re responsible for another little person and your world is turned upside down and changed beyond all recognition. Even with all the books, programmes, advice or seeing other people’s family life, you can never truly understand or believe it until you become a mother. It’s ok to need help. It’s ok to need a break. It’s ok not to be able to manage and control everything. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed, it’s ok to feel scared. It’s ok to cry, to have a rant. All these things are what actually make you a good mother because your body is doing a wonderful thing and it’s hard. Of course having a baby is the most beautiful, wonderful and exciting thing, but it can also be scary, stressful and at times, really hard. This doesn’t make you a bad mother to feel these things.
This time goes so quickly. All of a sudden you blink and they’ve grown up. These precious moments will go in the blink of an eye. The moments when they cry every time you put them down, the moments when they’ll only sleep when they lie with you, the moments when they wake up every hour, every night for weeks, the moments when you feel like all you are is a feeding machine. For the times when they get into everything, break things, scream and cry in the middle of a shop, for the times when all you hear is ‘Mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy’ every 5 minutes. For all of that, just remember it doesn’t last forever and they will be grownup and independent and won’t need you as much. Then you’ll be wishing for those precious, beautiful, irritating, and annoyingly wonderful moments of when they were growing up. Treasure every moment, treasure every tear, every sleepless night, every cuddle, every time they only want you and your arms. You don’t realise the power of a moment until it’s a memory.
Through the good and the bad, you’re doing a great job. You’re not alone. You are brave, strong, resilient, powerful and doing the hardest job in the world. Believe in yourself.
About Me……….
Thanks for joining me on my writing/blog journey! I’m a wife and mother sharing my life and motherhood experiences.
Why have I started blogging? Well let me tell you a story. When I had my little girl, it opened up a world of new emotions, thoughts and feelings that I hadn’t been prepared for. There wasn’t the same support around as there is today with Mums social media support groups, pages etc and it felt like every other Mum I met or knew on the outside was absolutely excelling at being a mum. They never seemed out of control or ever had a bad day. They seemed so natural and like everything went perfectly and fell into place and I just felt the complete opposite. I wanted some reassurance there were other parents who struggled sometimes, who felt the strain, the exhaustion, who had ups and downs and that is wasn’t just me. Sometimes you do feel alone as a parent even though you may have been surrounded by supportive loving partners, family and friends but as a mother, there is a weird feeling of being alone, being vulnerable, sometimes feelings of doubt and failure. I started writing everything down. My thoughts, feelings and things throughout my day. I’ve always suffered with depression and anxiety, I’ve also had my fair share of difficulties, tough times and mountains to overcome which I will talk openly and honestly about but over the years have worked very hard on myself and my mindset to get myself where I am today. As social media grows and grows and more and more Mums speak out and groups of support appear, I wanted to be a part of that, to be a part of empowering women, parents, mothers, also people who have depression and anxiety. I want to support and just offer some comfort to know that we’re in it together. To try and reach out to others to offer my own real life experiences, not fabricated or sugar coated, to tell it how it is, in the hope that it helps others going through the same. In times of darkness, doubts and dismay, my writing has really helped me, if nothing more than just to get it down in words how I feel and what’s happening because let’s face it, sometimes, you just can’t find the words to say out loud. I hope people reading my blogs can find some comfort and support. I’m not qualified or trained, I’m simply giving my experience and opinions, think of me as friend, just giving my version of events.
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me!
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