Survival Guide to Motherhood: A 7-Day Parenting Pep TalkSample

Day 2: Keep Your Sanity - Mental Health and Physical Health

Mental Health

Your mental health is so important as a mom. And one of the ways you can maintain it is by keeping close people in your life to help you. Surround yourself with wise counsel. Proverbs 13:20 reminds us, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” (RSV). I love this verse because it tells us that our friends make a difference. If we have wise friends, we will be wiser. Do you have a friend, a mentor, or someone in your life who will listen to you, speak God’s truth to you, and guide you in His ways? If you don’t have that person in your life, ask God to send them your way. We all get trapped in believing lies Satan tells us. That’s when we need someone to speak the truth to us.

If you don’t have that solid Christian friend right now, try looking into a certified Christian counselor. They can be very helpful in clearing the cobwebs from your mind.

For so many people, taking care of your mental health can come with a stigma attached to it. But listen, a stigma should never be attached to something that makes you the best version of yourself. I think counseling is essential because it helps us process the hurts and tough situations we’ve faced in life. It equips us to navigate what we can’t seem to push through.

What a gift a mom can be to her son or daughter when she has honest conversations with her child and admits, “I used to struggle in that area too, and this is what I learned.” Wow! Think about how life-changing that could be for your child. Giving your child that gift of honesty and guidance starts with pouring into your own mental health.

Physical Health

This area is probably my least favorite to implement, but it is so important in the life of a mom. Whether you belong to a gym, do workout videos in the privacy of your home, or walk the neighborhood with a friend, the point is that you, as a woman, must be moving in some way every day. I cannot count how often I have been down in the dumps, and I put my child in the stroller to get outside and start walking the neighborhood. Honestly, that simple choice has always helped me. We need to be moving our bodies, stretching, and doing things to help preserve our physical health so we’ll not only feel better each day but live a long, healthy life for our families, too.

I know exercise can be hard to fit into your daily routine, but try your hardest to do something. There will be seasons in your life when you can be more active and others when ten minutes is all you’ll have to give. But no matter what, make it a point to care for yourself by moving. Your goal in caring for your physical health is simple: Always keep moving!

Now, let me confess. I am not a person that loves to exercise. I actually hate it! But the older I get, the more value I see in it. It also clears away the cobwebs and brightens our day.

Here are my top suggestions on how to get moving.

• Push the stroller around your neighborhood.
• Bike ride with your baby/toddler on the back.
• Pull a wagon with the kids in it around the block.
• Walk with a friend at night.
• Do workout videos at home while your child naps.
• Walk the track while your child is practicing sports.