Before the new year, I remember reading something on social media that really struck a chord with me. Someone had posted that even though everyone was posting about the goals they has smashed, the perfect year they had, or the majorly perfect wins that they had in 2019, if 2019 was a hard year for you and you came out surviving…that’s a big win too!
I thought about that for a bit and it lifted my spirits because these last few years have been all about rebuilding and survival mode for me. Anyone else? While everyone is likely going through differing situations in their lives, many of us are more alike than we are different.
Are you in that newborn stage living feeding to feeding? Do you have multiple young children, staying at home and winging it day to day? Did you start a new job and you are trying to figure out how this new routine will work? Did you experience a major life change and you are grasping at straws in your “new normal?”
You are not alone mama.
All of us experience these times in our lives where we are just surviving. No matter the circumstances surrounding this, survival mode is likely a stage of life we will all experience at some point or another – and even perhaps multiple times!
But guess what, surviving should be celebrated too!
When you make the choice to put one foot in front of the other you are displaying your strength. With each step you take, each day you push through, you are showing yourself and your family the resiliency that you possess. And this mamas, is a beautiful thing. This is a win!
Sure, survival mode is not Instagram picture perfect.
It’s not something you will find pinned all over Pinterest, and it’s likely not something you want to blast all over Facebook. But really, maybe it should be? Maybe we should be opening up the conversation more about those ordinary days that turn into “ordinary years” where we are building our character day by day.
When you open up social media, how much more confident and secure would you feel if you were greeted by a photo or a story from another mom talking about the real life experiences they are going through rather than the perfection that is their life?
Now don’t get me wrong, I love seeing pretty pictures. And I love celebrating the happy things that go on in my life. All I am saying is, let’s try and be aware of what we are all posting and portraying on social media.
Maybe post the pretty while also talking about all the reality that it took to get to that pretty moment in time. Not only will this help to take the weight and the pressure off of our fellow moms scrolling through social media, searching for that alone time and mental break from the daily grind. But in doing so, we will also be taking the pressure off of ourselves, and that is gold.
No matter what, know that you are not alone in the depths of your survival mode.
Remember to be kind, not just in your words and actions, but in the content you are portraying. And know that, even though right now you may be focused on just putting one foot in front of the other, you will eventually get to that point where you are skipping along in this thing called life.
And along that journey, don’t forget that each day is a win even if you’re in survival mode. You are strong, and you are resilient mama!
