After you have a baby, you have to relearn how to do some things. Before, you wouldn’t think twice about reading a book in bed or playing a game on the computer or even going for a walk alone. Now, it can sometimes feel like it’s virtually impossible to simply gather your thoughts.
Recently, a friend told me about this wonderful thing: Mommy Time! It’s a period of time (it can just be 20 minutes, or even better, an hour) where you walk away and can just be. It does not include cleaning or cooking (unless you want it to). Mommy Time is simply some free time for you.
When I worked full-time, I loved my time on the subway. It was a great chance, twice a day, for me to completely zone-out. I could read, listen to my iPod or simply just stare at the subway floor. It was time when (normally) no one bothered me. It took me a few months of motherhood to realize it, but I really missed that “me time.”
To encourage me to take some Mommy Time, my friend sent me a schedule that she and her husband used to divvy up their time during the week. I shared this with Derek, and he decided to make a schedule for us, to see what we do every week.
Amazingly, we had to look at it all written out for it to occur to us — I had no time to myself.
We both agreed at that moment, we needed to fit some Mommy Time into our lives.
Currently, we use the time that Derek feeds Dylan in the evening as Mommy Time. While he takes over baby duty, I go into the other room and watch TV, read, make a phone call or even go on the computer for a few minutes. After taking a small break, I usually feel a lot less stressed. By doing little things that I used to do pre-baby (reading, writing, etc.), I begin to feel a bit more like myself again.
Also, now that I have gotten Dylan on a nap schedule (sort of), I can use his nap time during the day for some Mommy Time (although most of the time, I wind up using that to catch up on emails and pay bills, etc.).
Being a mommy is awesome, but it’s also hard work. Taking time for yourself can be energizing and extremely relaxing, if you let it.
