Who’s Taking Care of You?
A couple years ago, someone asked me that question and it is still sticking with me today. I remember thinking, well that is a loaded question if I’ve ever heard one! Who truly is taking care of the caretaker? It is such a good question, an important question, and one that does not get answered enough.
Our family started on this health and wellness journey about two years ago. After going through what we went through with my brother, and then the ever flowing ups and downs of the Autism journey, our family made a shift. It is definitely a hard shift and a fluid journey, figuring out health and wellness from every angle and we still don’t have a completely figured out. But I can tell you that my family and myself are much healthier now than we were a couple years ago. We have seen a couple different functional doctors with Alan and I feel rejuvenated every time we go that we are indeed on the right path for him and our family. It did not happen overnight, it was gradual and has taken a awhile. It changes every day as to what we need to do to meet everyone’s needs. This has become my form of self-care. I have noticed that when I am more open, mindful, calm, and intentional with what I am doing or putting in my body, I am the best mom I can be. Especially to Alan.
Looking back prior to embarking on this journey of health and wellness, I was quick tempered and frustrated all the time. Having those feelings toward my family and my children really took a toll on me mentally and physically. The weight I was carrying that nobody knew about was eating me alive and I didn’t even know it. I am definitely not a saint and far from being a perfect mother, especially to Alan, but I know that since I’ve started to take care of myself and my wellness, I am definitely a better mother than I was before.
Now some of you know that I am a certified holistic health coach, and in becoming one I have learned so much about nutrition, mental health, emotional health, and physical health that it has completely changed my life. I now know what works for me to take care of myself instead of aimlessly walking around target to try and breathe and spending money that I don’t need to be spending, I have replaced it with working out, using the sauna, detox baths, a nutrient dense diet plan, and meditation. Instead of reaching for a glass of wine at the end of the night to calm my nerves and my head, I reach for a cup of tea, water with lemon, electrolytes or a protein shake.
I feel obligated to write this because if someone didn’t ask me years ago, who was taking care of me? I do not think I would be in the place I am in today mentally or physically. So I am writing this to ask you as a caretaker who is taking care of you? And I really want you to think about consistency. Getting a massage once a month or going to the nail salon or a trip to Target here and there is not true self-care. Those are things that can get you by for an hour, but is it really bettering your life in the long run? Don’t get me wrong. I do indulge in those activities as well, but they have now moved categories in my head. They are no longer under the umbrella of self-care to me. In my eyes for me personally they are more just activities to do. If you take the time to consistently show up for you and only you everybody else in your life will benefit. Everyone knows the saying, you cannot pour from an empty cup and our cups as mamas usually have drops left in them by the end of the day. So it is my goal to make sure that you are filling your cup up, not just momentarily but consistently showing up for yourself day in and day out from morning to night so you can be the best version of you. So, I ask you, who takes care of YOU?
With Grace-
This Autism Mama
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