It's okay...
Reflections & a check in on early motherhood
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It’s okay if you don’t have the energy for the things that you used to have energy for.
It’s okay to say no to the things that are, simply, no longer sustainable for you.
It’s okay to say no to the things that you no longer have energy for.
It’s okay to not offer your time and energy for things where you are not appreciated.
It’s okay to not invest your time and energy into things where others don’t value what you have to offer.
It’s okay to not invest your time and energy into relationship where you are not respected and appreciated for who you truly are.
It’s okay to not settle for so little.
It’s okay to want more.
It’s okay to ask for more.
It’s okay to take care of yourself and your needs.
After all, it’s the only way to truly prevent burnout and to live your life sustainably.
The last couple months have been a big adjustment for me.
Taking an extended break from work. Having a baby. Becoming a parent.
It’s all been foreign territory.
And I’ve been spending a lot of the time just trying to figure out what on earth I’m doing on any given day. Some days I feel right on track with this whole parenthood thing. Then other days I go back to feeling like I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. I suppose that’s just a normal part of being a parent.
The amount of time and energy it takes to be a parent — and especially a first time parent — has resulted in me having to really get comfortable with saying no.
To say no to meetings that I feel would actually be more stressful rather than helpful to attend to.
To say no to other people’s expectations.
To say no to, really, anything that I don’t have the time, energy, or even mental, emotional and physical capacity for.
Because, frankly, taking care of a newborn is a lot of work. There’s no way that I can both care for my baby and myself and still be trying to please everyone else at the same time.
I would completely burnout. And that’s just not an option that I can afford to take.
So, I’m further building my “saying no” muscle.
And you know what else I’m working on? I’m trying to build my “ask for help” muscle so I can get the help I truly need when I need it.
After all, you can’t raise a child — nor really survive as a human being — without a village of others to support you. So asking for help sometimes is necessary.