I know some days are tough-really tough. Some phases in your life that consist of weeks, months, or even years may have passed with great difficulty and you’re unsure how you made it through, but you did. Even if things are going relatively well in your life now, you may still have those days that weigh so heavily on your heart and mind and you feel a tightness in your chest for some reason that you just can’t put your finger on. To add to all of this, there is no shortage of difficult news in our world today which can add to our hurting hearts and make it all the more harder to cope and function in our day-to-day lives.
I want you to know that you have a beautiful heart dear mama. Your heart experiences the whole range of possible emotions, sometimes all in one day. You have so much love for your children and your family, yet you have this nagging worry in your mind that doesn’t leave you. You feel proud of your children, you feel concern for their well-being, you feel sad, you feel happy, you feel disappointed, you feel lonely and you feel exhausted. You feel loved, you feel down, you feel good, you feel accomplished, you feel and feel and feel. I want you to know that your feelings are valid and although you may sometimes think that you “shouldn’t” feel a certain way-that’s just not the way emotions work. The important thing with our feelings is to acknowledge them, sit with them, recognize them, accept them, then find ways to cope with them.
There is more and more research out there about the heart and how it has its own “little brain.” The vagus nerve is one of the nerves that connects the brain to the rest of the body. Interestingly, 80% of its bandwidth is taken up by carrying signals from the body to the brain. Our brains are constantly being fed information from our heart and gut and these signals play a critical role in how we think, feel and react. (info taken from Five Deep Breaths-The Power of Mindful Parenting by Dr. Genevieve Von Lob).
So the importance of taking care of your heart dear mama is essential. It entails trying to listen to what is going on inside of you, what you’re feeling, how those feelings are impacting your thoughts, and as a result, the impact it will have on your body and your behaviour. What do I mean by taking care of your heart? It could mean putting boundaries in place –boundaries from people and situations which may negatively affect you, as much as possible. It may entail unfollowing certain people from social media because their presence does not bring any positive value to your life and makes you feel less worthy because you think you don’t measure up. It entails avoiding or walking away from situations, conversations, or people that hurt you time and time again. It entails finding a way to make time for yourself where you can rejuvenate and do something you love. It entails viewing yourself as a valuable, loved, worthy human being who is deserving of compassion, care, and understanding. It can entail communicating your needs to those around you because you can’t keep doing it all and you need help. It can entail trying to love yourself and forgive yourself for past mistakes and work through the guilt that has festered over time.
Any step you take in taking care of your heart will be impactful-just take that first step. While you’re taking that step, mindfully tell yourself “I am taking care of my heart.” What could be more important?