Why must mums learn to put themselves first?

Headquarters — to this day, my dad playfully refers to my mum as just that.

And it wasn’t until I became a mother myself that I realized how incredibly true that was. Because by default, mums keep track of everything — so whether a mother is a homemaker, a working professional and or a combination of both, the entirety of managerial responsibilities at home are her domain.

Which is why, carving out me-time is one step in the right direction.

Essentially because taking care of yourself is the key to being able to manage and contain your all-consuming work. If you dismiss putting yourself first, you will not be able to be an adequate container for your children’s emotions. If you yourself become hysterical or depressed, you are unable even to contain your own feelings, let alone your children’s.

So as a mother, you may need to practice dealing with your own exhaustion and negative emotions first — not repressing them but acknowledging how you feel and finding ways of soothing yourself or accepting help from those around you to help you soothe yourself.

And one way of doing this is to set aside time as well as resources to engage in whatever pleases you. Simply because it will be an indulgence that will surely revive you and its high time we stopped glorifying burnout!