I’m a mom .. now what?

You’re a parent .. so now what?

 That was my thought not long ago. 9 months of  .. well .. labour and the birth of my beautiful boy should have given me time to figure out what’s next in our lives, but really all that time was spent surviving. We are reliant people, we parents. We have a live unto ourselves and then suddenly (okay, maybe not suddenly) it all changes and nothing’s the same anymore. Our interests change, and things that we once held so dear now seem meaningless. On the flip side, things that we never really gave much time to now have become more precious than gold to us because we know that now it’s going to be even harder now to find time for them. This can leave us feeling overwhelmed, so here’s some tips on how to figure out what you want now, and get back on track.

 Exercises:

1. Making a list of what you want is probably pointless because if you knew what you wanted, then you wouldn’t be in this situation, so instead make a list of things that you know you don’t want. For example, add ‘Poverty’ or ‘Living in a bad neighborhood’ or even ‘Less sleep!’
2. Take some time to de-stress. Everything seems insurmountable when you’re stressed. You might not always feel that you’re doing everything when it comes to dealing with the baby, the household, and even the workplace, but chances are you’re blinded by modesty. You do a lot. Don’t believe me? Take a vacation from your life for a day.This serves two purposes. First of all, it’ll give others more appreciation for exactly what you do in a day. Secondly, it’ll give you time to be you again. Never loose sight of who you are.
3. Make a list of things you want to accomplish in life. Now, break it down by decades, then break it down again so your list is more manageable. The next step in this list is to figure out how to get to every spot on your list. These should be your short term goals, and they should be manageable. Most importantly, keep this list. If you have a reference to keep you on track, it’s a lot easier to stayon track. You also get a sense of accomplishment whenever you get to cross something off your list. This exercises can be done with anything, really, from a to-do list to a grocery list.

Links

• How to Get Everything You Want in Lifeby Pam Houston
• You Have to Know What You Want by Marshall Brown
• What I Want From Life by ‘A Girl Out There Somewhere’

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