Positively Erin Marie

Many times when we become moms our lives and priorities completely change and everything we do and think and say revolves around our kids. We rarely have girls nights anymore because our kids take up so much of our time that we just don’t think about the fact that we really need that. We do everything for everyone else for so long that we forget about one other person that also needs our attention and love…ourselves. 

We are so busy thinking about what needs to be done for our kids or our husbands or the house or work that we ignore our own needs. So often from the moment we wake up we are in mom mode and that mode doesn’t end until our kids are in bed at night…and sometimes even beyond😩! How often have you realized halfway through the day that you forgot to wash your face, or eat, or put on clean clothes? How many times have you gone days without makeup or even showering? I think many of us can relate to this, am I right🙋? And when we get so lost in the needs of everyone around us, we unfortunately lose ourselves in the process. I spent so many years feeling down and depressed about myself. I didn’t like anything about myself anymore. I felt like I didn’t know who I was as a person and I had no idea how to fix it. Well…over a decade later I have finally figured it out.

You know how when you meet a new friend you spend time cultivating your friendship getting to know each other until your friendship blossoms? This is how we need to treat ourselves. We need to spend some quality time (however short and few and far between those times may be) getting to know ourselves again. We aren’t the same people we were before we had kids…we’re different…our priorities are different…our bodies are different…maybe even our likes and dislikes. How can we like ourselves if we don’t know ourselves anymore? 

Spending that time figuring out our likes, dislikes, motivations, passions etc is the only way we are going to get out of that funk. You know how I finally realized something needed to be done and that I needed to focus on myself? I got really sick…to the point that I thought I wasn’t going to make it.  I even wrote letters to each of my kids to read after I had passed. 

What happened? Well, that’s a long story and probably would have to be another post. Or a book!  Let’s just say it was a seven-year struggle and while I am not fully better, I’m getting there. It’s frustrating when doctors don’t listen to you. You know your body so get another opinion if you need to. Don’t give up on yourself. It was hard not to give up because there were so many times when I felt I didn’t have the strength to fight an unknown predator anymore. I didn’t feel like I was worth fighting for. But I had to press on for my family and because I deserved some much-needed attention after so many years of putting myself on the back burner. I don’t share much about my struggles but I wanted to tell you that to show what can happen when you don’t pay attention to yourself. I still have residual health issues and my immune system will never be what it once was and I am kicking myself for not paying more attention to my own needs when it could’ve made a difference. I can only thank God for leading me to the right doctor in the end and for my wonderful family who I truly believe kept me alive during the worst time in my life. I can only look forward to the future with my kids and thank God that I am here to see them grow up. Going through this ordeal has completely changed my priorities and my view of life and health. I am grateful for each new day and each moment and can only hope to encourage and inspire people to take care of themselves. Please friends…for your own sake and the sake of your families…please take care of yourselves. Make sure you are taking care of your health and your mind and your spirit. It makes all the difference in the world. Trust me. 

Until next time friends!