We have all heard this over and over and over. It's right up there with you sleep when the baby sleeps for mommy advice. How many of us do it though?
I always have just one more thing to do, just one more call to make, or one more game to play, or load of laundry to wash. The thing is, whether you do it today or leave it for tomorrow, there will always be more.
I learned, in a more difficult way, that you really do need to take care of yourself. Why? If you don't, then you wear down. When you wear down, you are not benefitting your children. I personally lost almost half a day with my baby because my body decided enough was enough.
I awoke with a heart palpatation. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and I'm not looking forward to having one again, especially not soon. It was followed a little later with some tummy trouble, and this was all combined with the cold I caught because of my overworked immune system.
This lead to phone calls, doctors appointments, time running around that could have been spent at home, and my baby spent some time with a babysitter when she could have been with me.Why?
Because I was exhausted. I haven't been getting enough sleep in an attempt to finish my to do list every day, and baby doesn't always sleep through the night. This wouldn't be as big a problem if I didn't have to get up every morning to complete my daily list, and often to babysit.
Part of the decision to stay at home was so that I would be able to get things done without working full time and trying to do everything else on top of that, so I have been operating under the assumption that I should be able to do it all. That has caused large amounts of stress, which compounds the problem,and also leads to lost sleep.
I was pretty lucky that I only lost a few hours. I went to the doctor, I took a couple small naps, and I spent some time that should have been playing and learning cuddling baby on the couch. That is not completely wasted time, as I think they all need some cuddle time, but it lead to a more boring day then we would normally have. Although, maybe if I had boring days more often then I wouldn't have ended up in that position in the first place.
The moral of the story? It's Christmas. We are all so busy running around and rushing to finish everything, are we forgetting that quiet time and rest are important? That our children will ultimately suffer when we fall sick or our bodies fail? Christmas is a time for spending time with our families and celebrating what we have. Our health, or friends, and love. Let's not risk all of that by trying too hard to do too much. Slow down and enjoy the season for what it is, and you will be healthier and happ