Um, I really feel like I have no business even discussing this topic. I am truly the most impatient person – EVER! I do know that God is trying to build me in areas that I am not already proficient at though, by allowing me to stay in this role of motherhood a little longer, by the adoption of our youngest almost two years ago. I guess he felt I really needed more time to have the fruit of the spirit developed in me and allowing a beautiful little child who needed a home to help me work through it all.
“Being a mom can vacillate between the sweetness of hugs and kisses to feeling like you are in jail.”
Do you feel like that sometime? It is true, we can often feel trapped and helpless…..overcome by what our to-do list has on it and the lack of un-interrupted time we have to do it in. We are exhausted and putting severe pressure on ourselves to be perfect. UGH! That perfection can drive us really crazy. If we just gave ourselves some grace….some much needed grace. I related to Sue’s discovery that she was choosing to be frustrated. I can let myself easily fall into the same pattern. I can control my thoughts and when I allow frustration to seep in, it will quickly destroy the environment. My day can go down the drain and my attitude goes to the gutter. I am ashamed to admit that I can easily get really frustrated, impatient and sour. I have to learn the true meaning of sacrifice. I am serving this beautiful family of mine and when I can remind myself of this and have THAT be the expectation I can keep my attitude in check, along with my patience. But when I allow the daily grind to overcome the feelings of a servants heart, that is when things fall apart. Spending time with the Lord daily is KEY! The days that doesn’t happen are days that begin to fall apart for me early on. Also, Sue reminds us that building strategies and routines into our day can help us have a buffer zone that will hopefully prevent melt-downs – yes, those melt-downs of our own! When we lose our patience and yell or scream, it is us who have the melt-down, no our kids. As adults, we are called to be adults and learn to manage our emotions – truly something I am still learning to do.
“Sometimes it is the simplest of things that restore peace and order to a mom’s perspective.”
I need to make to sure build into my day little bits of time where I can find restoration in the midst of busyness and stress. I like to make time to workout – that is a big stress reliever for me, so making this a priority is a must. I especially love my routine right now with my Focus T25 – doing it first thing in the morning has it crossed off my list and feeling very accomplished!! I also like to play soothing music at home and it can make a huge difference in my state of mind. Having Pandora has been a life saver for me, I can pick from so many types of music easily and without a lot of trouble. Making time for myself to eat is another one I have to be intentional about. I know for us moms, we take time to feed our kiddos the best stuff, and often we skip meals or just eat the left overs. Your body need nourishment and you need to make it a priority. Being hungry is a trigger for me to become cranky and irritated very fast! What are your tips and tricks to having more patience in your day?
