It is a beautiful gift, to feel everything so deeply. But as a mom, feeling my children's emotions has been something I've had to learn how to navigate to keep my own sanity and enjoy my parental role.
Here's what it can feel like as an empath mother:
Kids bickering can feel excruciating to your senses
Sibling rivalry is incredibly overwhelming: you feel everyone's feelings, plus your own
Interrupted sleep physically hurts
Children's tears feel like your tears. Trying to bubble wrap everyone is impossible but you try anyways. This quickly leads to complete life overwhelm
Other children teasing your child hurts your heart immensely
Homeschooling sounds lovely and absolutely too exhausting. You crave alone time.
You ache for a peaceful world for your children to grow up in. Watching the news is debilitating.
When my 2 babies were younger, I did not understand why I felt more overwhelmed & exhausted than my friends who had more children than I did. Watching parents with 3+ kids fluidly move through their lives, orchestrating schedules, diaper changes, moods, laundry, meals and having extra energy left over to smile and socialize was mind-blowing to me. I could hardly make it until bed time, let alone seek out extracurriculars. Old ladies nostalgically gazing at my kids in the grocery store, crooning "enjoy every minute, Hun....." brought up feelings of guilt and anxiety. Was I going to miss this? I was not enjoying every minute... The exhaustion felt like a never ending marathon I was running daily. While I loved my children more than anything, I wasn't really having a good time at all. My sister even dubbed me "The Fun Police." Yikes.
I was absorbing everyone's emotions without even knowing it. Can you relate?
Understanding what it means to be an empath has changed my life and perspective on motherhood. Learning a few survival skills has helped me find more peace and delight along the way.
Empath Mom Survival Skills:
Be a conduit. Visualize yourself as a conduit of your kids emotions, rather than a sponge. Let those feelings move right through your body and back into the earth or out into the sky.
Nourish your body. Food choices matter immensely, especially to sensitive nervous systems. Choosing grounding, warming, delish meals will keep your body balanced and calm. Eat in a quiet setting, even if this means before you feed your family. It's ok to take care of yourself! My family has gotten used to it by now :)
Caffeine. How is your relationship with coffee/caffeine? Moms of young kids can easily fall into the trap of relying on caffeine to kickstart your morning and boost you through until dinner. It's an energy roller coaster, affecting us with already extra- sensitive systems even more than we realize, usually ending in complete and utter exhaustion. This is a slippery slope that I have slid right off. See my post on caffeine to learn more. *Coming soon*
Schedule alone time. Daily solitude is so replenishing! Think quiet time in nature, meditation, or putting on a movie for the kids and resting. My mom used to sit in the car and read the newspaper while we played in the yard. It is essential for empath moms to reboot and it is healthy to model this behavior to others.
Turn off the TV. Don't watch the news. There are always negative things the media will highlight and it can be totally destructive to your mental health if you hear it. Violence can feel impossible to shake off. If you need proof that the world isn't out to get your kids, read statistics on how much safer the world is today than ever before. Doing this has really helped me.
Learn the Heart - Centering Technique. This helps you tune into the stillness that is always present and allows you to find a moment of peace in the chaos. It is simple and powerful and I can teach you!
Got any survival skills to add to the list? Love to hear about what works for you. Leave them in the comments below.
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