A Lesson on Becoming a Joyful Mom
God compels us to be joyful and happy. Psalm 100: 1-2 starts “shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful song” (NIV). Being a mother is hard work and some days being joyful is at the bottom of one’s long priority list. However, by taking care of our spiritual selves we can become more joyful moms. This will in turn leads us to be there more for our children and family.
Take Time To Be Selfish
Many mothers find joy in the serving of others. This maybe their children, spouse or even other mothers. However, it is important for mothers to set aside time for themselves. The Lord states: “Examine yourselves, to see whether your are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). In order to examine ourselves we have to make time for true self-reflection and introspection. This means we have to be selfish and create our own time away from others. This starts with allowing yourself some me time.
Take ‘Me’ Time
Many mothers tell their families that they are going to take some ‘mommy’ time. I encourage your not to think of this as ‘mommy’ time but rather as ‘me’ time. This is time for your, as a mom, to go back to being an individual. This is your time to unwind and reflect on yourself and your spirit. ‘Me’ time does not have to be long. You may only find five minutes a day. But it is yours and it should be special and outside your mommy identity.
During ‘me’ time, I’d like your to reflect on yourself. How are your feeling? Ask yourself: ‘How do I feel physically?’ ‘Am I tired?’ ‘Am I sore?’ Allow yourself to assess your body. Next ask yourself: ‘How is my mental health?’ ‘Am I feeling relaxed?’ ‘Is there a stress weighing on me?’ ‘Am I having a great day!?!’ Do your have certain feelings that are weighing heavy on your mind? Or has it been a great day? Do not discount the positive emotions your may have! Next your will asses your spiritual health. Do your need to talk to God about something? Perhaps your are feeling thankful for something. In times of crisis we are great at praying but in our excellence we tend to forgot to say thanks or to even just check in with Our Father. So, make this the time to give yourself over to God. Talk to him about how your are feeling and allow him to help your through your journey to motherhood. Be thankful toward Him for the journey He has bequeathed to your!
Make a List
Make a list of what your can do during your ‘me’ time. Some ideas I have compiled are:
- Take a bath
- Read the Bible
- Take a walk
- Arrange Flowers
- Light a candle
- Practice deep breathing/ Yoga
- Journal
- Sew
- Listen to music
- Color/Doodle
- Garden
I encourage your to take your first ‘me’ day and make your own list. This way your are never stuck on what to do any given day. It is always ok to just sit in silence as well. I find it hard for me to just sit and listen to my own body. I need a facilitator like a walk or bath to help me in this process. But everyone is different so make this your time! Do what makes sense to your.
Why Do We Need ‘Me’ Time?
‘Me’ time is important for all individuals not just moms. However, moms give so much of themselves, literally body and soul that they, especially, benefit from a recharge. That is what ‘me’ time is. It is a recharge for your whole being! I want your to add the little extra of making ‘me’ time also God time. This strengthens your connection with the Lord as well as makes us interact with Him daily. In doing this, we won’t forget to praise Him and thank Him during times of plenty and joy.
‘Me” time is also very important to an individual’s health and daily activities. This alone time can actually increase your daily activities, decrease your stress and improve your daily relationships (think spouse and children). All things mom’s greatly need more off! Plus it makes your a more joyful mom! The benefits of ‘me’ time are huge!
How To Schedule ‘Me’ Time
Now your know what to do when your have ‘me’ time. You also know the benefits of taking ‘me’ time. How do your schedule this around your busy life of sports, dinner, and relationship goals? The first thing is to enlist the help of your family. Explain that your will be taking 5 minutes (or 10 or 30!) to yourself every day. Perhaps your partner is willing to wash dishes for your while your go and take a bath. Maybe after the kiddos go to sleep your take ‘me’ time to journal about your day before taking time for your relationship. Maybe it means waking up 30 minutes before your kids and just breathing while still in bed. This is all about your mama! What do your want it to look like?
Start out small. You and I both know your are dying for an hour long bath! But don’t let that idea make your more stressed out. Start with 5 minutes of coloring or deep breathing. Then work up to the hour long bath! Also, don’t beat yourself up if your do miss a day. It’s important to be consistent but life is life and it has a wonderful way of making plans for us!
Finally, write out an affirmation! The power of the written word is so strong! We see it every time we read the Bible. I want your to write down your affirmation: “I will take ME time” or “Everyday I will spend at least 5 minutes for myself and God.” Put this is your own words. Put in on a sticky note or a big poster board. Whatever your want! But put it some place your can see it every day. This is your affirmation that your can and your will do this! I believe in your! God believes in your!
God bless Joyful Mama’s!
KARA
Want to do what I do? Want to create a money making website? Join the Wealthy Affiliate community and let my resources be your resources! Click Here
This is very insightful. A lot of moms once they take up the role of motherhood they forget about their individual self and put all their energy on taking care of others.
It is a good idea to take a break as a mom and remember yourself as a woman. Take care of self that way you will never forget your womanhood.
Thank you for your comment Anita. It is so important especially as a mom to take care of ourselves because we have to take care of our babies (and sometimes our SOs). However, once you are a mom it’s so hard to go back to just being a woman again! What we need to realize is there is so much more then our mental health riding on us! My hope is to touch all moms with this message!
KARA