Andrea Brenes As a mom, juggling the never-ending lives & activities of two pre-teen children, on top of being a wife & having a full-time job; it’s easy to forget about the importance of me time. When my kids were toddlers, I ran myself into the ground and lost any semblance of who I was before kids. I gave 110% to everyone and nothing to myself.
I remember the exact moment when I realized I couldn’t keep running this way. While sitting on my bed folding laundry, I remember feeling defeated. It felt like I was failing everyone around me. It was there in my defeat that I realized that I only felt that way because I wasn’t giving anything to myself! For any mom out there, that is giving everything to their family, work, or friends, but not feeling like you are enough… just stop. Take a minute to reevaluate, you can’t be the best version of yourself, if you don’t carve out some time for yourself.
Ask for Help
As a mom, we think we can do it all on our own. There is a reason they say, “It takes a village”. I come from a large family, and I have a supportive husband, yet I never asked for help when my kids were younger! I wanted to show everyone that I was “Super Mom”. Yes, we all are super moms, but even Batman has Robin. Whoever it may be, family or friend, reach out to them. You’ll be surprised how quickly your loved ones will step in to give you a break, even if it is so you can take a nap!
Find a Hobby
I started following different Instagram pages that were focused on things I enjoyed like baking, reading, and travel. @Reesebookclub quickly became one of my favorites. Reese picks one book a month to highlight on her page. Fun fact, all the books she recommends are written by women! You may not have time to read a book a month, and that’s fine! But, finding 5-10 minutes a day to sit in a quiet corner to read a good book can clear the mind.
If reading isn’t your thing, find something that is! Another passion of mine is baking; I follow tons of cooking/baking pages and save hundreds of recipes. Again, I may not get to all of them, but even one a month fuels my soul.
Join a Mom Group
If you’re reading this post, then you probably already follow SoFlo Moms, and if you don’t go follow! That’s a good first step. Mom groups are incredible, they are a community of other women that are either going through the same life stages as you or have already been through what you are going through. Being a part of these groups, you get access to meet-ups, events, advice and so much more.
I encourage you to go to these moms’ meet-ups! As awkward as it might feel to put yourself out there and meet new people, you’ll feel welcomed in a heartbeat. In most of these events, kids are welcome, so even though you aren’t alone, it is still “me time”, because you’re doing it for YOU and the kids have fun at the same time.
These tips are just small things you can do to find a little you time. I know it can seem like an impossible task sometimes! But I promise you, you’ll be a better mom, wife, sister, and friend for it.
How will you find your me time today?
