Making Space and Ditching Guilt Prioritizing Self-Care as a Working Mom Tracy Bingaman, PA-C Being a Mom is hard. Work is hard. Being a working Mom is hard. Do you know what makes it easier? Taking care of yourself makes it easier. As the caregiver of patients, spouses, kids and even parents… Moms are putting themselves last on the list of people who matter. We are neglecting our own needs. We aren’t making space for ourselves. We are feeling guilty about taking the time we need to make ourselves healthy and happy. Make space – we need to make space in our homes, in our hearts, our heads and in our calendars. Carving out a space that is, largely, or at least when you need it to be, kid-free. A space where you can go to eat a bite of food or take a deep breath or just exist on your own. It doesn’t have to be fancy – it can be throw pillows on the floor of your walk in closet or can be you retreating to your bedroom for some space and room in your home. We need to change our hearts and our minds to prioritize taking care of ourselves. It’s not serving our families to be at the bottom of the list of priorities. On our calendars – day by day and week by week – we need to be scheduling in time to take care of ourselves! Now, Mom Guilt – we need to eradicate Mom Guilt! Mom Guilt isn’t serving us, our kids, our peers or our spouses. Urban dictionary defines “Mom Guilt” as the guilt a mother feels any time she takes time to do something for herself, outside of work, that does not involve her children. What in the actual World?! Feeling guilty for any thing a Mom does outside of work or parenting! I don’t want to set this example for my kids! I don’t want to live this life of feeling guilty. We need to, together, but starting with you, and me – ditch guilt. We need to become confident in our reasoning and leave that guilt in the gutter!! When we start making space for self-care, meeting our basic needs and taking care of ourselves and when we ditch Mom guilt once and for all… that’s when we can start living into our purpose! That’s when we start showing up as the Mom we want to be. When we do these things we are reclaiming the person we were, the woman who exists inside this Momma, it’s a major win! You are so much more than a Mom. Motherhood can feel all consuming, but investing in yourself is often the thing that helps you to show up as a better, more refreshed, more fulfilled Momma! MEET TRACY FOLLOW FULFILLED – THE PODCAST If you’re looking to re-establish your values and re-align your life – check out my Free Resource to Clarify your Core Values. It’s 3 Simple Steps to Identify your 4 Core Values! Winter 2021 Fashion Challenge – Polished Plaid Winter Fashion Challenge 2021 - Fulfilled Podcast