Mom’s Needs Come First!

A few days ago I was overwhelmed. I decided to mediate a bit and then write down what came to me. Here’s what I wrote:

“How to do everything I need to during the day: Make time to move my body in the morning: exercise, go for a walk, dance party.

What if I don’t get a lot of sleep!?!? How do I function!?
   Sleep when I can
   Get dinner started in the morning
   Get outside
   Only do the essentials

How do I know what the essentials are!?!?
   Prayer. That’s always an essential and will lead to the other essentials.
   My essentials come first, the house can function without my constant keeping. But my body will break down if it’s not cared for. My mind will shut down if not cared for.”

It was the answer that I’ve been waiting for: my essentials need to come first. I can’t give when my body and mind break down from exhaustion. I knew this. I did. But after having to spend the morning in bed because my body was exhausted and physically couldn’t do any more, everything finally clicked.

If I can fill my cup in the morning: prayer and meditation, scripture study, gratitude journal, and exercise, everything else will fill itself in. Not only that but I’ll be able to roll with the punches better because my mind and body won’t be as sluggish. It’s not selfish or bad to put myself first, it’s a necessity! My body and mind will literally start to shut down, then how helpful will I be to my family!?!?

Today was my first day trying this out, since my discovery came on Saturday, and so far so good! The day didn’t go as planned but I was able to adapt and still do what I needed to. I also felt happier knowing I was doing the things on my list, both for myself and my family. Was it perfect? No looking back on the day it could’ve gone better, but it’s a good place to start. I’ll start each day with a determination to try my best, if I fail that’s ok because I can try again the next day until I get it right!