I got an e-mail yesterday from a fabulous YouAnewer with a really great question, and I wanted to share it with you. Here we go:
“I was on Facebook and saw that one of my friends had posted this slogan – ‘Some people call it letting yourself go. I call it putting my kids’ needs before my own. You should try it sometime.’ …now I can’t figure out if this is bugging me because I’m taking this personally or if I’m bugged because she actually feels that way about her own life. What do you do with these attitudes?”
Alright, so social media is such a beast of a topic. While it can have a positive impact (a constant stream of connection), it can also be a total energy sucker (everyone else is living a better story than me). I have worked with so many people who are totally sucked dry and disillusioned by the bombardment of ideas and opinions of so-called-friends. So, here was my response (and if you’re a dude, please insert dad for mom and he for she…):1. Being healthy/taking care of yourself and being a fabulous mother are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact the idea of being a fit, wonderful parent who has all the energy she needs to devote to her children is exactly what we are after!
2. Don’t own someone else’s insecurity. It’s obvious this person feels bad about their appearance/health and is making excuses for it. Just because that’s how she feels doesn’t mean that’s how you should feel. Excuses or results, you can’t have both.
3. The time spent away from your family to exercise, manage stress, prep healthy food and sleep is time well spent, and in the long run will afford you more quality time with your children later in life. Think 40 years down the road when you are still rocking a healthy lifestyle while those who neglected their health in their early years are now in rough shape. Your kids will appreciate having a mobile/healthy parent who can take care of herself!!
Remember, there’s only room in your brain for one–you can choose to fill it with negative emotions or positive thoughts. Don’t waste your time with all the negative stuff that sucks you dry. Harness that energy, get health and pour out the positive into the lives your family. You can totally do it all!
