In addition to celebrating all of the mothers in your life, Mother’s Day is a perfect time to focus on the concept of nurturing. In fact, taking time to nurture yourself is vital not only to your own health, but also to the health and well-being of your family, your community, and the planet as a whole.
As children, we looked to our mother for care and nurturing. As adults, it becomes our responsibility to make sure our own needs are met.
We have to pick up where our mothers left off by making sure we eat healthy, balanced meals; get plenty of fresh air, exercise and sleep; give ourselves unconditional love; take care of ourselves when we’re sick; clean up our messes; pick ourselves up and brush ourselves off when we fall down; forgive ourselves when we fail; set sensible priorities and limits; make time for play; encourage ourselves to live up to our highest values; and challenge ourselves to reach our goals.
That’s a tall order, even for the most accomplished mothers. It’s no wonder most of us fall short when it comes to self care. Mothering takes courage, intelligence, diligence, maturity and commitment. It definitely requires a sense of humor. And it takes a heart willing to love and forgive.
Consider this: When we don’t take care of ourselves, we create a destructive pattern of energy. In today’s society, most of us are challenged to keep up with extremely demanding schedules. Many of us push ourselves too hard, resulting in chronic stress. That makes us tired, cranky, and insecure. We may try to console ourselves with unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, overeating, or watching too much TV.
Before we know it, instead of spreading good will and positive energy around, we’re spreading anxiety and tension around. Like dropping a pebble into a pond, the vibration of our energy ripples out in all directions. The more we deny our own needs for health and balance, the more negative energy we spread.
Why is it that so many of us don’t bother to take care of ourselves? Why are we trying to “tough it out?” Perhaps we think that self-nurturing is optional. (It’s not.) Perhaps we think we have to sacrifice our own needs to take care of others. (We don’t.) Maybe we think that we don’t have enough time. (We do.)
The truth of the matter is that unless we honor and care for our own essential needs, we can’t fully be there to offer care for others. You can’t give what you don’t have.
Sports psychologists have identified that the key difference between the top 10 percent of peak achievers and everyone else in the lower 90% is related to how well they regularly make time to renew their energy physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Because of this evidence, it’s clear that self-nurturing is not narcissistic and self-indulgent, it is absolutely vital to your level of performance in every area of your life.
As more of us mother ourselves, we create a stronger, healthier community. Instead of acting like overtired, cranky, and whiny children that drain the energy from our friends and family, we can bring a renewed sense of balance and wellness into the world. Like that pebble in the pond, we can send positive vibrations into the environment around us.
So this Mother’s Day, in addition to celebrating the mothers in your world, consider how you can begin taking steps to mother yourself, and observe the many ways that self-nurturing can positively influence your life.
Lauren Archer is a Hypnotherapist in private practice on English Hill. She is a popular speaker for corporate audiences and teaches regular wellness classes through Evergreen Healthcare. You can visit her website at www.PositiveCentral.com.
