Taming that inner demon.
Lots of people, myself included, hear the words "health" and think of it in the physical aspect. Our weight, being physically active and fit, and eating healthy. I know that's all I've ever associated with the term, and it's only over the past few months that I've come to learn (and appreciate) that's it is those things, yes, but it also includes your state of mind.
Our mental health requires just as much attention as the rest of those things do, and I feel it can even be more important at times. As a hectically busy stay-at-home mom of two toddlers, my mental state on a daily (sometimes HOURLY) basis fluctuates constantly. Moms, you know what I mean. Some days can be much harder than others, depending on what mood our kiddos decide to wake up in. I'll admit, we have days when Daddy comes home and the kids and I are in the middle of being goofy and crazy and laughing, and other days when he comes home and I hand them off and practically run and lock myself somewhere else in the house for 10-15 minutes of just me time.
And those hard days? They often have a big effect on our mental health, especially those special random periods during the toddler years when it seems you have those days more often than not. You feel you yell way more than you want to (not that we ever WANT to), you have less patience, the kids are off the walls and it seems like the universe is against you. I've had those days when I crawl into bed at night and cry, feeling like the world's worst mother for not being able to keep it together despite it all. I HATE those days, and where I know my kids aren't perfect and have their moments as all kids do, I've had to learn that I'M not perfect either, and shouldn't beat myself up so much over it (easier said than done, right?). However, I'm unfortunately a very emotional person and am very critical of myself in every imaginable way possible. When things get stressful in my life, I internally become my own worst enemy. The inner demon rises.
Soooo...what does any of this have to do with personal health? Three months ago, when I started my business, one of the requirements was to spend ten minutes daily doing some sort of personal development. Something that, at the time, I thought would be hard (and I'll admit, a bit ridiculous) because I've never been a reader of personal development books other than some parenting books I sought out a few months ago out of desperation of how to deal with temper tantrums. However, very surprisingly, it has become one of my FAVORITE things to do for my business. The book I just finished reading was called The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon and in it, it talks about how positivity can make or break us in life. It really made me think deeper, about how much I've LET negativity and that inner demon run my life the past few years, and in particular, my mental health. I've let my personal stress in life negatively impact my health to the point where I wasn't exercising and eating like crap, which I would then mentally beat myself up over EVERY TIME I saw my reflection in the mirror or tried on something that wouldn't fit. Pile that daily battle on top of the mental stress of motherhood and everyday adult-ing, and it's a recipe for disaster. I was absolutely miserable with myself on a daily basis. It's sadly so much easier to see and focus on the negative things around and within us and hard to find the positive, but it's a process I've been working hard on this past month.
My daily "fight" isn't to just lose weight, exercise more, and eat healthier-but rather, to make myself a better person as a WHOLE-mind and body. One, simply cannot exist without the other. I need to do it for myself, and for my loved ones. How can they love me if I don't love myself? What kind of message is that sending? One, cannot exist without the other. And in my case, my mental health directly has an impact on my physical, and vice versa. If I slack and skip a workout, the inner demon starts in, and when I do work out, I feel invincible. I've found it to be a habit that is just as hard to break as going to bed late or sneaking treats. But rather than looking in the mirror and focusing on all the imperfections before me (thanks to having kiddos, there are a few more than I'd like), I strive to see the positive changes that my hard work has slowly been producing. And hey, there's nothing like that boost you get from seeing results, right? ;) I've found that incorporating the positive into my everyday life-into situations with the kids, situations with family, outside parties like doctors, etc.-REALLY can have a huge effect on our mood and how we carry ourselves throughout the day. When it comes down, YOU learning to love YOU, is where your happiness is going to start in live. When you're the best (and happiest) version of yourself, your energy and positivity will spread to those around you and life will automatically be a little bit easier. So! Time to put those positive pants on, take it one day at a time, and not just work on getting your body healthier, but your mind, too! Read some personal development books (or if you're not a reader, listen to them!); go out with the husband or girlfriends for a night out and away from the stress of home life; even just take a bath with some good wine, candles, and a book or music-whatever it is that you need to do, DO IT and MAKE that mental time for yourself. Because YOU'RE happiness and success in life depend upon it!
