On this blog we talk a lot about being a working mum and the highs and lows that come with it, but today we’d like to talk about you. Not you as a mum, or an employee or the boss or a colleague, just simply you.
It goes without saying that having a baby is a completely life changing occurrence and it alters you in so many ways that it’s hard to pinpoint where ‘mum’ ends and ‘you’ begins. The truth is, it can be extremely hard to find your own identity again because it’s highly likely that it will be totally unrecognisable compared to life ‘BC’ (before children). If you’re searching for the ‘old you’ it’s not going to be there, what you will eventually find is something so much better. You will find a new woman who has more love in her heart than she ever thought possible, who is capable of juggling nap times with coffee catch ups and who is automatically putting everybody else’s needs first. You will find a new woman who is a lot more tired than they used to be, who isn’t as confident in their body as they once were, who has faced and fought challenges that she never saw coming. But regardless of all the changes, you will discover the things that you used to love and giggle at the things that made you laugh, peppered amongst the new priorities you will see a new version of the ‘old you.’
In this life you wear many ‘hats’ and respond to so many names and titles, that it becomes very easy to forget the most important one of all, your name. Set aside time that’s just for you, go to the cinema, take that relaxing bath (no baby monitors allowed!), attend a dance class, work out at the gym, read a book in the park, get your nails done, have a spa day, go on a date night! Whatever makes you happy. There is a lot in the media about being kind to others, but I believe this (like charity) starts at home. So please, please, please #BeKind to yourself. You’re amazing.
The Working Mum Project 