Running on Empty
Mar 09, 2021
Our family is the first place we learn love. What is modeled for us in these early years is what we become later in life. That's why it is important to teach our children self-love and the value of self-care.
Self-love is modeled through how we take care of ourselves. Mothers tend to forget to practice their own self-care because they instinctually prioritize others before themselves (often leaving them in a constant state of depletion.) Being depleted all the time is one of the biggest challenges of being a mom.
In addition, by not practicing self-care, we are not providing valuable life-skill lessons such as handling stress and setting healthy boundaries.
When we model self-love by practicing self-care:
- Children will grow up knowing how to value personal space
- Children will know when they need to re-charge their batteries
- Children will value healthy boundaries in relationships
- Children will learn how to fill their own cup and not depend on others
Practicing self-care is one of the most important things you can do for your children.
Getting started with a self-care routine doesn't have to be difficult.
You can start here:
- Realize and admit that you need it and you deserve it.
- Identify what makes you smile, brings you peace, and helps you re-charge.
- Start small, doing one thing a week for yourself for 5-minutes.
- Once you learn to love that 5-minutes, add an additional day for 5-minutes.
- Over time, as you add additional days, self-care becomes part of your daily routine. You will thank yourself and your family will reap the benefits.
