Rest as Radical Self-Care

One day, my son, Matthew, came home with a stomach bug. I took off from work and nursed him for two days. By day three, I was doubled over with the little bug too. Bug-2 Us-0. After feeling near death for 24 hours, I forced myself to pull it together and head to the j-o-b (y’know bc there’s no such thing as ‘my kid is sick as crap’ days). I’d used three days in a row that week and guilt was beginning to set in.

So, still feeling queasy as ever, I caught a standing-room-only bus downtown to work the following day. About ten minutes into my ride, as we’re heading down Lake Shore Drive, my knees buckled, my eyes shut and I fell STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR! For the first time ever in life, I passed out (on a jam-packed bus of frustrated people whose morning commute was now thrown off by an exhausted, dehydrated mom).

 I wasn’t as strong as I thought. I hadn’t given myself the rest I needed. I hadn’t hydrated. I hadn’t silenced my internal negative chatter. I hadn’t taken care of me. When I became a mom at 25, I promised myself to always put ME first and I try my hardest to stick to it. My happiness SHOULD come before his, my peace before his, my sense of self before him— in other words ME first! Because if I lose me, how in the world can I authentically teach him how to affirm and advocate for himself as he navigates life and grows into the person he’s destined to be? I can only give him what I, myself, hav

 If you’re a mommy, or heck, if you’re overworked in any way, I KNOW you can relate. It’s hard, it’s exhausting, it’s sometimes isolating and filled with much sacrifice. But I challenge you to always look for moments of peace, search for moments of rest and speak up each and every time you need a BREAK! You owe you!