Like when you’re finally ready to leave the house and for once, you look like you’ve really made an effort. Your Mom bun is neat-ish and your outfit is stylish, but then… your sweet baby has a little vomit, just as you pick her up and it lands right square in the middle of your brand new denim shirt that you’ve saved specifically for this occasion. Why? WHY LITTLE HUMAN that I love so much but right now could give back to the Gods?! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! FML. This is typical, my life sucks and this only ever happens to me! All my other Mom friends always look like a Pinterest pin and I look like a hot mess. Lemons! All I get are lemons!
As Moms, we experience these kinds of situations pretty frequently and it’s such a downer to our day. So how do we bounce back quickly and continue playing the role of Supermom?
A good place to start is by firstly becoming aware of our reactions in these situations. So next time this happens and you have a Mommy meltdown, just notice it. And be like “oh, that’s interesting, look how I just chose to react“. By noticing it you’re creating a kind of a ‘break’ in your breakdown, which stops the momentum of that negative energy that’s about to cloud up your whole day. Then, just breathe! And say to yourself (out loud), “the past is history, the future is a mystery, but right now is a gift.” Try to find something to be grateful for in that moment. The smallest of things will help. The fact that you were able to get to the point of not actually being in your PJ’s and you still have a neat-ish Mom bun, that’s worthy! The fact that you managed to brush your teeth AND put on mascara today, that’s worthy! The fact that you have notched up 1 more day of motherhood under your belt, and you’ll learn from this experience, worthy.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed inside all these little moments of motherhood and start to slip down a dark tunnel towards PND. Another thought that always helped me was that I knew, that at only a few weeks in, I was able to offer some sort of comfort, guidance and support to a Mom who was just a few weeks behind me. The amount of knowledge and experience you accumulate during those first few crazy hectic weeks, it adds up, in a good way. And by the time your baby is 3 months old, and then again at 6 months old, you won’t believe how far you’ve come and how much better you feel.
So to all you Mamas out there trying to feel normal again and dealing with those lemons, I say screw it – take those lemons, accept them for what they are – just little nudges guiding you gently on your way to Supermom status. Which by the way doesn’t mean you look or act like an unachievable Pinterest pin… it just means your baby is alive and happy… BUT so are YOU!
I thought that I was the only one who battles with brushing my teeth.
Thanks I loved reading this.
Goodness no! There is a whole tribe of us ;)
“The fact that you managed to brush you teeth” LOL! It’s a daily struggle to brush my teeth each day! I’ve been feeling like I’m a disgusting human because some days it’s the afternoon and I’m like “shoot, I STILL haven’t brushed my teeth”, because it’s just not something you can do with a baby in your arms! I’ll keep trying …:)
Not at all! Brushing teeth and showering are total seconds for a new Mom! After a few more months you’ll find your groove and it won’t be such a struggle, promise! x
I love this Shan. Big love. Super mom here we come.
Thanks for the inspiration ;)