Mornings are so sacred, just as my mom said they'd be, with sweet Baby Luna. She is starting to sleep more in the night and only wakes up a few times to breastfeed so I feel a pattern may finally be emerging. Then this morning I signed up for a coaching call at 9am, thinking she'd be breastfeeding or napping, which is what we usually do in the mornings. And she was! She really has been very calm in the mornings lately, waking up very hungry but after nursing for a bit, sometimes off and on for an hour or so, she takes a delicious nap. It can be another hour or so and then she may have some adorable awake time before napping again, usually in the swing up to this point while Mommy finally prepares and hopefully eats breakfast.
But because of the call this morning, I have become really aware with the rich silence that can happen each morning. I turned the TV off for a change--it’s had kind of a mindless numbing effect on me this past few months at home. I know my smartphone is also a time and energy sucker but at least I can do some worthwhile things on it, like writing my thoughts and memories down, blogging, staying in touch with friends and family, and reading different articles about parenting and wellness, for example. TV can also be beneficial at times, especially with history programs or funny movies, but I think it affects me when I watch too much because it's not in line with my beliefs of not having Baby Luna watch TV for the first few years. Same goes for the phone actually, which may be why my anxiety is up a bit overall.
I know that was the case when I finally got organic shampoo for myself last year after hearing about how certain products can affect our overall health from so many chemicals. Something seemingly so simple, but as a result of the switch to organic, I felt so much better about what I was using on my body. Same goes for the food I put in my body too. I have fallen out of alignment with my most precious values and beliefs and this causes angst over time. Sure, it's survival at first because we’re running on little sleep and everything is so new, but 8 weeks in, I'm starting to realize how not staying true to what I believe in--in terms of healthy living for my baby and myself--really can take a toll on my overall wellbeing.
Since discovering the beautiful silence of the morning, I'm going to start by taking quiet time to reflect and meditate while Luna sleeps, like I'm doing right now. (Writing is a form of meditation for me sometimes.) Through that reflection time, l hope to feel more energized and make choices throughout the day, when it’s possible, around my time and food that fill me up, rather than leaving me depleted.
Have you ever fallen out of alignment with your values? How do you get back in line?
No comments:
Post a Comment