Self-Preservation and Motherhood

self-preservation and motherhood

What does self-preservation mean to you? Do you give it any thought? To me, self-preservation is protecting Adanna from depletion and loss of identity. Things that I am at risk for as a mother of 3 small children under 7. I’ve written a lot about self-care over the past year and my self-care journey. Alone time, journaling, spirituality, exercise, sleep, and therapy are some of my self-care practices and combined they serve self-preservation. They keep my cup filled, head leveled and feet planted firmly on the ground.

So how do I maintain this? I started to view myself as another child and treat myself with the same gentle love that I treat my children. Just like I would find the time and energy to take good care of an additional child, I do that for myself. I try my best to turn the noise off to listen to myself and hear what my needs are from me and not from the world.

self-preservation and motherhood
Coat: Boohoo, Jeans: Zara, Sunglasses: Amazon Shoes: Target

I’m also working on establishing boundaries, something admittedly I’ve been terrible at but is now necessary is for me. I’m an open book for the most part about my ups and my downs so when I feel the need to protect or keep something sacred. I need to be bold about that. It’s hard to establish new boundaries in old relationships but one thing that helps is recognizing that in many instances the people who I have no filter with or no boundaries have from day one established boundaries for me that I’ve always respected. I know that over time it might seem odd that I’m about to toss up those boundaries but I think they will eventually understand why this is important to me.

I’ll keep you updated as I continue to feel my way through motherhood, self-care and meeting my goal of self-preservation.

I would love to hear your thoughts on self-preservation and motherhood in the comment section below.

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[email protected] gilchrest78