Moms Learning Self Care

By: Elisa Peterson,  Mom, BA, RMT

About 18 years ago I began a life-changing journey full of ups, downs and sometimes sharp- unexpected turns.  With the birth of my first of four wonderful children, I set out with full sails. Raising my children has been a rewarding and life-giving experience. And simultaneously, brought me the most tiring periods of my life I have yet to experience again. Finding balance between taking care of my children, working outside the home and taking the time to recharge and nourish myself has been a journey in itself.  It has taken a lot of trial and error, a lot a self- love, and of course, encouragement from supportive friends, family and community. More importantly, however, what I realized along the way was

I needed to become reacquainted with the new “me” inside. I needed to understand the different ways that my body expressed itself and what the “me” inside needed before I could even start to “manage mommy self-care.”  

I think that we would all agree that our physical self is probably the easiest and most obvious to understand. As a new mom, my physical body gave me cues all day long: hunger pains, yawning or sore muscles told me it was time to eat, perhaps take a nap or put up my feet. These cues are the body’s way of scheduling and keeping us healthy. They are fairly easy to respond to; the line of communication is direct with simple ways to answer when our body calls. However, let’s consider cues such as shallow breathing, butterflies in our stomach or a quick heart rate- what is that telling us? What I discovered by digging a little deeper below was another vital component of my health that came to be my greatest teacher of all- my emotions.

 Yes, our emotional health is a vital and integral part of our over-all health. Traditional Chinese Medicine has acknowledged and valued our emotional health for over 2,500 years. And today, Western Medicine is studying the connection between how we express our emotions, our immune system and the affect this relationship has on our physical health. Getting to know and feel my emotions, although sometimes challenging, continues to be a rewarding journey. The challenge of moving through the discomfort of some emotions gave me a more a broader and healthier understanding of “me.”  I learned that when we have the courage to listen and trust our body, we can connect with the truth that emotions share. The reward is we then can give our body what it really needs to make long lasting changes with our health on all levels.

So where to begin as a mom? Our days are packed with responsibilities and schedules with many unexpected surprises. And while hearing all these signals can be challenging, you can start simply by setting the intention that you will start to pay less attention to what your head is thinking and more time to how your body is feeling. Make your body “high priority.” Start looking and listening for the myriad of cues; open your ears, eye and hearts. Keep a mental note of when your breathing changes or when your heart starts to beat quickly. Notice how you are feeling.  Are you comfortable with the feeling?  How and where does your body respond to that feeling? And then write it down. Keep a health journal. Talk about it with a trusted friend. With heightened awareness and new, valuable information you will be ready to develop a self- care practice uniquely tailored just for you.

Starting today, whether you are expecting or caring for your baby now, take the first step toward a healthier, whole body. April 16th, BabyMoon Parenting is hosting, Pregnancy in the City. Join me for “Stretched and Pulled...Managing Mommy Self-Care,” an opportunity for you to put your new found awareness into action by learning easy-to-learn self-care tools and exercises to manage your body’s physical and emotional cues and to begin creating your personalized self care practice. Taking the time to care for yourself will leave you rested and rejuvenated with more energy to share with those around you. Remember a healthier mom means a healthier baby.