Mind & Body Wellness

Give Yourself Grace

October 30, 2018 /
You have goals and visions, and so many people, big and small, depend on you. You can be giving it your all everyday and still feel like your coming up short. Give yourself grace. Powerful three words. Grace is how you feel when all is unraveling and at the end you find an unexpected gesture of kindness towards yourself. You slow down and give yourself a break.  It heals you like nothing else, so you can begin again or keep going with a calmer and more focused approach. And then, every once in a while, you have those days where you totally nail it, everything. You’ll get a day back like that again soon.
Parenting is hard:

Lately I’ve been feeling underwhelmed with all grateful and positive things going on around me; and overwhelmed by all the ideas and plans I want to accomplish for my myself and for my kids and family.

I work part-time, yet at times I still feel insufficient when it comes to my housework and just managing everyone’s schedules.  I mean, my house should be immaculate, right? I should be able to get everyone where they need to be, I should have home cooked meals every night. Yet, I do not. My youngest has also taken a few steps back with transitioning into kindergarten. We are working together with his teachers, but still the worry weighs me down. I also find myself so busy with my older kids commitments, I feel like I am totally neglecting my youngest.  He definitely gets shuffled around so much, and he just doesn’t have the same “social network”, if you will, that my older two have. That’s not fair to him and I wish I could do a better job with that.  But the truth is, time fills up so quickly and I can’t keep up and keep track of it all sometimes. It can really take a toll on me some days. But, I try to give myself grace and there are a few things I  tell myself that truly help:

  • At end of day, my intentions were good and I gave it my all.
  • It’s ok to say no to things, I’ll catch the next one.
  • If there’s a mess, it’s okay; things will get done when they get done. Not the end of the world.
  • Don’t compare. We are not perfect, nor could we ever be. I’ve got my own good things going on, embrace it!
This is grace. Showing yourself some forgiveness and kindness. Just as being kind to others does a world of good; being kind to yourself does the same thing.  You can re-center yourself, take a deep breath and keep going.  Let yourself heal from the chaos of the day. You’ll be a better you when you do.
Parenting aside: Adulting is hard in general
You’re all grown up now and it’s real! Stress is real, mortgages are real.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s a ton of great and amazing things that come along as you get older.  But bigger responsibilities come with bigger decisions with even bigger effects.  It can be overwhelming.
Maybe you’re starting your own business.  That’s a huge leap of faith in itself that comes with so many emotions.  You could be doing everything right that’s in your power to do. You’re putting in all those hours, putting every last cent you have into your dream and your passion. You might have a day (or several) where you’re like “Why am I even doing this??”

Give yourself grace. Starting your own business is one of the bravest and most ambitious things you could do for yourself.  Not many people can ever take that leap.  But you are, and in time you will see all the good.

The holidays coming up.  Maybe you’re missing a loved one this year, maybe situations have drastically changed and it’s going to be different and be really tough.  All the while you need to keep a brave face sometimes because life marches on. But it’s ok to be bummed out even when you have so much else to be grateful for. It’s real and it’s how you feel and that’s okay. Give yourself grace.  Hold onto the great memories you have and know that there will be many more great memories ahead.

Give yourself grace, and I’m going to work on giving myself grace.  At the end of the day, it’s the people in my house I thank God for every night, because they make my heart full…even when I’m at my wits end.

 

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