The Gift of “me time” for Mom
We all know that raising, supporting and advocating for your child with special needs means sometimes we don’t recognize the person we are now, when we look over our shoulder and compare it to the person we were before special needs entered our lives. So many parts of life change so quickly it can be hard to keep up with or even remember your own wants and needs and take the “me time” we so need. Knowing this we wanted to offer two special needs moms a gift that would help them tap into their joy triggers and allow them to find a bit of themselves again.
We started with the idea of a Mom Makeover knowing that it would make them feel pampered and beautiful while offering a boost to their confidence. We quickly realized, as nice as it would be, the makeup and hair products would literally wash away the next day and we wanted to offer something that had longer lasting benefits, not just on the outside, but on the inside too. So we asked ourselves, what do special needs moms really need?
The Perfect Idea
We landed on the idea of offering a month of life coaching to our moms. When we found life coaches that also have special needs children in their lives, we were so excited. How perfect is that? We really thought that this could be the gift that keeps on giving and that through their journey we were going to share tips and thoughts to our community on the little things moms can do to make themselves a priority, find their joy and get started on making these good habits early. We knew that it would require a level of commitment. Life coaching takes time after all – time to meet and time for homework, but we were so excited at the potential it held.
Life Coaches Spotlight: Natalie Hankins [1]
Life Coaches Spotlight: Emily Berman [2]
We were able to interview our nominated moms, line things up and get the ball rolling. But then we encountered an issue, one that should not have been surprising and truly one that represents the whole picture of a special needs mom. The chosen moms simply weren’t able to continue the coaching journey. We cannot and won’t speak for these moms, but the resounding truth in their inability to continue this process, was that life with our special needs children can override all we do in our days, including all we WANT to do.
The Journey has only Begun
We took a hard look at the lesson we knew was there. Though we didn’t see it coming during this process, we recognize the teachable moment. We know the importance of campaigning for our moms because we know how valuable these moments of self care are. As we follow the journey of the moms who could find and guard time to enjoy their journey with this life coaching we will be offering tips, information and talks.
For those moms who know they simply cannot find time for one more thing, WE SEE YOU. We know you because we’re either right there next to you or have been there at one point. Wherever you are in your own journey to prioritize “me time”, know that you are not alone and that we are here campaigning for you every step of the way!
We invite you to get to know a little bit about our nominated moms, Robin and Rachel.
Continue reading part 2 of Mom Makeover from the Inside Out [5]
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- The Sandwich Generation: How To Handle it All, and Then Some! [7]
- Kind in the Chaos: Caring for Yourself When You Are a Full-Time Caregiver [8]
- Being United, Pampering, and Taking Care of Ourselves [9]
- 11 Reasons Why You Should Try Mindfulness Meditation and How to Do It! [10]
- Coping with the Life You Never Imagined [11]
- Where’s the RESPITE? [6]
- Developing Your Own Network [12]
- Date Night Ideas for Exhausted Parents [13]
- Balancing the Care of Siblings with Different Needs [14]
- Journal Writing Can Help You to Reconnect with Yourself [15]
- Multitasking the Right Way: How You Can Make the Most of Your Time [16]
- Mental Health Is Not Something to Take for Granted: How to Manage Depression and Stress During the Holidays [17]
This post originally appeared on our March/April 2023 Magazine [18]