Spare Your Sanity; Save Yourself-Part 2

Here’s part 2 of what you can do to maintain your health and sanity.

1. Ask for help.  Speak with family and friends about how they can help especially if you’ve just had a new baby.  Be direct about the kinds of help you will appreciate, both childcare assistance and emotional support.  Research has shown that you benefit most from support if it’s what you need, not what others might imagine you need.
2. Nurture your sense of humor.  The ability to step back and laugh at life’s challenges and frustrations is an asset.  If you can see anything funny in what you’re going through, imagine looking back on this scene two or three years from now.   Believe it or not, some of your worst days now will make great stories later on.
3. Self-Acceptance:  One of the hardest habits is learning to love ourselves wholly with our strengths and limitations.  Practice unconditional love and positive regard towards yourself because you are a unique, special person.  For no other reason than that.  Don’t compare yourself to other moms.  Make your motherhood and life journey your own.

If you can practice one or two of these habits weekly, kudos to you.  If there’s one which appeals to you, try it 2-3 times a week or daily for 10-15 minutes.  Make it your goal over the next few months to experiment with adding each of these to your weekly/daily life.  Remember, motherhood is a lifetime journey and self-care is the key to emotional health and happiness.