Be Nourished.
We need nourishment to stay awake
We think a lot about what nourishes our children, physically and emotionally. We wonder about the quality of this nourishment on a regular basis. But what nourishes us? We can get nourishment from almost everything in our lives if we have consciously chosen them. We can be depleted by these same things if we have not. How often do you get to take inventory of your relationships, your work, your play, your passion project, your experience of your physical and mental state? Are these things nourishing you? Do they offer you support . . . .
Raising a child requires us to be well nourished and it can feel unforgiving if we are not. While most of our relationships have a give and take, the relationship with our child does not have to replenish us. If we are drained by an emotionally high needs child, an ill child, or a physically dependent child, we are required to continue doing our job, nourishing them- but first we must nourish ourselves. How do we do this? Come up with so much nourishment? Well, we get pretty creative. We get help. We take time outs. Take moments. Take a breath. A run. A vacation. We try to take these things without the guilt. Without feeling like we don't deserve them. But this takes lots of practice . . . so we take it slow.