On Napping

Hi, my name is Emily. I'm 38 years old, and I've been allowing myself a nap time as needed. There. I said it. No guilt about it!

As moms, I find that there is a tendency to find ourselves filling up our time to overflowing most days. Then as if to show our "good mom badge" we list off all the things we do in our day and all the activities we take our kids to justify how tired we feel. 

Is being a mom physically exhausting? Yes. Most days. 

Is it ok to allow ourselves to say "no" to some activities (let's don't jam pack our days, shall we?) and allow ourselves a break during the day? Yes! It's ok! It doesn't show weakness or defeat at all! 

It usually hits me around 2:00 in the afternoon. My eyes feel heavy, my body just wants to be still for a little while. And I realized, that by 2:00 I have been up and working for eight hours already! After working eight hours at any job, you would get a break. And guess what? From the time my girls walk in the door at 3:00 until I crawl into bed around 10:30 or 11:00, I've worked a second eight hour shift! No wonder moms are tired!

So if time allows for it, and if I feel sleepy (some days miraculously I don't!), I give myself permission to lie down on the couch and close my eyes for 20 minutes or so. And that little break for my mind and body does wonders for me. I feel like I can tackle the afternoon with more energy. 

And I'm ok with that!