If Mama Ain’t Happy, Nobody’s Happy

Most people with young children may feel as though they’ll never get a break. As soon as you think you finally found some peace and quiet, you realize you couldn’t have been more wrong. What began as using your spare time to read or watch T.V. turned into using that ten minutes to take a shower or fold laundry. It’s hard to function when you don’t take time for yourself. You live each and everyday doing things for everyone but yourself and you lose yourself along the way. Budgeting your time is key to finding a chance to take care of yourself as you take care of your children; how can you take care of your family when you’re not taking care of yourself? It’s not easy to do while thinking on the surface, but you have to dig deeper.

First off, you have to know where to start. If you’re like me, you often use your few minutes of spare time thinking about what it is you should do. “Okay, baby’s sleeping. Should I take a relaxing bath or paint my nails? Maybe I’ll read a book…” But when you finally decide on dusting the living room, your baby wakes up before you even begin.

Don’t get me wrong, dusting is important. I love dusting just as much as the next guy, but you need to take time for YOURSELF. It can be stressful when you’re trying to relax in the bath after a long day, but all you can think about is the unfolded laundry strewn all over the couch, or the dishes in the sink waiting for you to come along and wash them. But you need to take some of the time that you’d normally use for chores to give yourself a break.

Many people find it easier to take breaks when you find something you love to do. If you have a hobby or if there’s something you’ve been wanting to do, it lessens the chance of you blowing it off to do something you feel that you need to do. For example, in the past I used my free time to scroll through social media. I realized that I wasn’t doing myself or anyone else any good by using my free time this way, and decided to find a hobby. When I began knitting, I realized that it’s a good way to relax. When I find free time now, I feel more productive. Sure those dishes need to get washed and that laundry needs to get folded, but you also need a healthy state of mind. That healthy state of mind is vital. I understand that daily tasks that need to get done are priorities, but you are also a priority if you want to live a healthy, happy life. If mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy.