One of my favorite Christian social media influencers is Brittney Moses. She is studying to get her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at UCLA and has a podcast called, The Faith And Mental Wellness Podcast With Brittney Moses. Brittney is also a great writer and wrote a devotional for the YouVersion Bible App called “The 7 Day Anxiety Detox“. She is always coming up with freeing ways to live your life with Christ.
From her blog:
“I help raise mental health awareness to reduce stigma and assist with helpful information at the intersection of faith, culture, and mental health while having some fun along the way. Still, my favorite part of life is being called Mommy by my sweet, 10-year-old boy, Austin.”
Basic Needs
I think taking care of your mental health as a parent is so crucial to your daily functioning and mood fluctuations. But it is often overlooked and pushed to the backburner. The experts are always telling us that some of the basic needs we need to take care of in order to think and feel our best include: adequate sleep, proper nutrition, regular exercise, self-care, etc. As a mom I know I am not even coming close. Adequate sleep? I mean with 3 kids under 4, that was not happening. And now that my kids are 3, 5, and 7, sure there are no nighttime feedings, but my youngest has me up at 6:00 am after I stayed up way too late watching Netflix trying to decompress.
Proper nutrition? I try, I really do. And if you know me, you know I love to eat healthfully. But it isn’t consistent. Today my lunch was potato chips out of the bag and my breakfast was my son’s leftover granola bar. What? Waste not; want not! And does chasing around 3 kids count as exercise? You get my point. I can’t even meet my own basic needs so let’s not touch on self-care.
Finding Your Identity Is Freeing
But, as I was scrolling through Instagram the other day, I came across Brittney’s post about 5 ways we can preserve our mental wellness. She wasn’t directing it towards parenthood, but adults in general. However, I think it is a very pertinent reminder for those parents out there. I mentioned all the basic needs that we often ignore for maintaining mental wellness. But, I agree with Britney that one of the best things you can do for your mental health is to find your identity in Christ. And let go of the comparison game, the blame game, and putting others’ opinions of yourself higher than God’s opinions of you.
5 Incredibly Freeing Things…
…that happen when you find security in who God created you to be.
- You can celebrate others’ victories without seeing it as a lack in self.
- You can love without an agenda.
- Accept mistakes as a part of the growth process.
- Live a life of conviction instead of being pressured by opinions.
- You can find the satisfaction of mastering your own lane in your own way.
I think number 5 is my favorite. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. There is only one you and you were handpicked by God to parent to your kids. And your kids are unique to themselves as well. Find satisfaction in your own lane and in your own way. You were meant to be different and born to stand out. Own it.