Mommy & Me - Rediscovering My Pleasure & Personality
Becoming a parent means making a lot of sacrifices. Date nights require advance planning, my schedule revolves around nap time, and my wardrobe is based around how easily I can get a boob out. Sure, my life has changed in many ways, but I'm still me. Though it took a while for me to remember that.
Admittedly, I had a bit of a personality crisis when I was bestowed the title of 'new mom'. While I'm certain that sleep deprivation and postpartum anxiety were certainly factors, I found my inner dialogue was far more existential than usual. My reflection became a stranger. My topics of conversation revolved around diaper contents. Who was I becoming?
While I loved discovering who I was as a mother, I didn't want my identity to be limited to just that. I think of the two investigators in this bit from Baroness Von Sketch Show (if you haven't seen this series yet, you absolutely need to), reminding me that I was someone before I became someone's Mom. I wasn't exactly sure who I was, but I knew I wanted to get back in touch with my former self in one way or another.
Since becoming a mom, bath time now comes with an audience. |
I'm very grateful for my husband, who recognized my internal dilemma and and stepped up to the plate. He and I both knew that I had to take care of myself as well as our son, so we developed a new routine. Everyday he'd come home from work & takeover parenting duty so I could have an hour to myself. It was hard at first, especially if Elliott was crying. But I had to constantly remind myself that Wil had it all under control, and that he was just as capable of soothing our baby as I was.
I recognize that not every parent has the luxury of being granted alone time, and I certainly did not take it for granted.
So what did I do during that solo hour? I made time for pleasure.
If motherhood has taught me anything, it's that eventually it all balances out. |
For me, I tried to remember things I did in my spare time before baby arrived. For example, things like writing, playing around with makeup, thrift shopping, reading, or taking a long, hot bath. These are all things that I enjoyed and made me feel good.
Indulging in things I found pleasurable served as dedicated time and space to reconnect to myself. But don't get this confused with self-care; though that can be pleasurable as well, I personally see self-care rituals as necessary more so than indulgent. A big, frothy bubble bath is great and can be therapeutic for some, but it isn't usually my go-to when I'm coming down from an anxiety attack. These pleasure-seeking moments provided me with a sense of self again, and ultimately made me feel more human (and less like a walking milk machine). It reminded me that I'm permitted to have hobbies and interests still, and I've accepted that I will have to make sacrifices still.
Most importantly it's taught me that I'm my own person, who just so happens to be a parent too.
Sure, some days I wish I could stay in the tub by myself for just a few minutes more. But then reality quacks in my face and I can't help but smile. |