Isn’t becoming a mother the greatest role you could ever have? Doesn’t your little bundle of joy make your heart ache every time you look at how wonderful they are and how they’re the most important person in your life now? With all the beauties motherhood brings, it also carries an array of less pleasant feelings, moods and thoughts. Looking yourself in the mirror after delivering your baby will probably be one of the most stressful moments in your life, but what you need to know is that it’s all fleeting and that you can overcome the lower self-esteem phase.
Find time for yourself
As ridiculous as it may sound, you can and most certainly should find some alone time after having a baby. It’s true that your little one will require constant attention, feeding changing and lulling to sleep, but it’s paramount that you take care of yourself just as well. You won’t be able to offer all the care your baby needs unless you feel good about yourself. That’s why when your baby is asleep you should try to get some rest as well. Whether it’s for having a bath, or meditating or maybe sleeping yourself, taking an hour or more to spend some quality time with yourself, away from everyone else is of great importance for your emotional and mental health.
Boost your mood
Walks are great for improving your mood and allowing you to breathe in some fresh air that will help you clear your thoughts. Don’t stay at home for too long, but visit your family, or join groups where you can spend time with new mums and share experiences on this wonderful new journey all of you began. Exchanging thoughts with other mothers will help you de-stress because you’ll realize that you’re not the only one who is insecure about her parenting skills. Identifying with other people’s worries and challenges will help you relax and learn that we learn something new every day.
Don’t compare yourself to others
You are unique and beautiful no matter what you look like. That’s why you should never compare yourself to models or other new moms because it can only lower your self-esteem and demotivate you to make any progress. Just because Adriana Lima managed to get her figure back in a blink of an eye every time after she had her babies, it doesn’t mean that you’re less beautiful with your post-baby weight. You’ll be able to go back to your pre-baby weight at your own pace, and if you weren’t fit before you got pregnant, you’ll have to make extra effort to shed the baby weight. However, as long as you work hard and stay motivated to lose weight, you’ll do it with no trouble.
Work on your look
Stretch marks, flabby stomach and saggy skin will most likely be some of the biggest issues after pregnancy. However, you shouldn’t try to start working out too soon but allow your body to heal before you put it through strenuous workouts. Instead, try focusing on your skin and hair and invest in some flattering clothes. Go to a beauty clinic and have a facial or a skin care treatment to instantly boost your self-esteem. Once you look at your reflection in a mirror after a treatment, you’ll see a new glowing skin that will immediately make you feel better about yourself. Find time to wash your hair and style it properly, because a clean hair is half the looks.
Baby steps
You can’t expect to go back to the way you looked nine months ago in only 2 months. Your body needed nine months to grow a new life, which means it’ll take at least as long to transform it back to its original form. Therefore, instead of constantly being focused on your primary goal of losing 20 pounds, for example, try shifting your attention to a few smaller goals. By regulating your diet and increasing your physical activity, try to lose 2 pounds each week. By achieving these smaller goals, the main one won’t look as frightening and you’ll be able to achieve it more easily.
Break bad habits
Eating out too often, overspending and spending too much time on the couch instead of outdoors, can have negative effects on your mood. That’s why you should start breaking all of your bad habits. Instead of eating out, start watching cooking channels and improve your culinary skills. While whipping up your next meal, you’ll also improve your physical activity and boost your energy levels. We know baby clothes are just too adorable to resist, but you’ll need to learn to do so. Your baby will grow out of most of the clothes they get in the first few months, so instead of spending tons of money on that, think about investing in toys and items that your child will be able to use for years more.
There is not a single thing more beautiful than becoming a parent, which is why you’ll need to be a good mother to your child. The only way for you to do it is to work on your emotional and mental health just a much as on your physical. Only after you’ve become content with yourself, will you be able to be a good role model for your child and take good care of them.