I think we can all agree that, at the very least, we deserve 2021 to be better than 2020…and that’s not a very tall order considering how rough 2020 was, right?! However, just because we started a new calendar doesn’t mean the world will magically change overnight. We are still raising our littles in the thick of a global pandemic, a plethora of social justice issues, as well as all the heartache that comes along with all of those things. What it DOES mean is that we have an opportunity to press the restart button on our own vibes and energy, which can truly make all the difference in how we deal with any challenges thrown our way.
So how do we maximize this opportunity as moms? I’m going to share with you 3 tips to make sure you are set up for an easier year than 2020!
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Create and commit to a routine. 2020 was a year of so much change and our littles thrive on the OPPOSITE of change – they thrive on ROUTINE. But guess what? So do most of us! Even those of you who may think you despise routine actually NEED it. Why do you think this past year was so freakin’ hard for EVERYONE?! Everything we knew CHANGED. Our old ways of doing things CHANGED. We like the things we know and we like things to be predictable. JUST LIKE OUR BABIES. So create some things in your life that become routine. They can be so simple, but just do those things daily and I promise you that you will feel more centered and more in control. By simple, I even mean something as easy making sure you drink your morning coffee each day or going for a walk with baby at a specific time. You can make your routine as involved or simple as you need to fit your lifestyle. One easy example from my own routine: each morning before I get ready for work, I drink my favorite coffee and brain dump all the things I need to get done for the day in my planner while Mason eats breakfast. Those things help me get my day started on the right foot!
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Carve out time for self-care. Being a breastfeeding mama, your time is mostly not your own. You are responsible for the nourishment and comfort of your baby day in and day out. It is exhausting! Finding time for yourself is challenging to say the least. But you NEED it, mama. YOU NEED IT. And you DESERVE it. With COVID, a lot of us couldn’t have family or friends help out in ways they might’ve in the past. A lot of you turned into teachers overnight so you could help your older ones with distance learning. There is so much EXTRA that got piled onto your plates in 2020. WE ARE BURNT. OUT. If you didn’t give much time to self-care last year, THIS IS YOUR YEAR. Make the time. You need to re-charge from time to time in order to be your best self for your baby. Check out this blog post for tips and tricks on how to make the time for yourself and why it’s so important: Self-Care: What That REALLY Means for a Mama
- Get comfortable with boundaries. For a lot of us, boundaries are HARD. Saying “NO” is HARD. Disappointing people is HARD. But, if you are asked to do something that is NOT aligned with what is important to YOU, then you are doing yourself a disservice by saying “YES.” As mamas, we are busy AF. Whether you’re a breastfeeding mama or not, mamas are just BUSY. So we don’t have time to add in all this other random stuff that will not fulfill you. You end up making your life so much harder when you pile on all these things that you do not have the bandwidth for just because you’re afraid to say “NO.” There is this stigma with the word “no” –for some reason, we are led to believe that saying “no” is rude. But it is NOT. By saying “yes” to something you truly do not want to do or just do not have time for, you’re honestly being rude to YOURSELF. Because your time is so valuable. Like I said earlier, being a mama, we’re so freakin’ busy. You have the most beautiful littles who need their mama to be her best self. And, if you are spread too thin, then you sacrifice time you could be spending with your babies, your partner, yourself for self-care, or doing any of the other million things on your to-do list. So get comfortable with setting your boundaries, whether it’s at work, in your personal life, or both. When we start cutting out the things that we don’t want to do…the things that are not aligned with what we value…the things we only say “yes” to because we feel too guilty to say otherwise…that is when we will feel lighter. Your day, your week, your month, your YEAR becomes easier.
I promise you, mamas, that these tips WILL make a difference and help make your life easier. 2021 does not have to look anything like 2020 if you adjust your mindset and prioritize what will really lift you up. If time is still a challenging factor for you as a breastfeeding mama, know that Ailana J. Nursing + Pumping Apparel is designed with your time in mind…to give you minutes back in your day by making it easier and faster to nurse and pump. And we all know that in mom life, any extra minutes are GOLD. So we got you :)
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