Dear Jess,
A few months ago when you came to me with this idea of starting Maternity Fraternity, I was a bit apprehensive. I had just given birth to my second son and finding the balance of being a mom to more than one kid while still recovering from my C-section, was already challenging. I didn’t answer your text until the next day because I was debating if I could handle taking on a project like this seriously. In the end, I realized that this project and my new year’s resolution of being better at getting out of “mommy-mode”, was a perfect fit.
I recently read an article about positive psychology that gave me some perspective on all those days where I felt like I was in a rut; when I felt like I didn’t want to “mom” anymore.
The human mind spends approximately 50 percent to 70 percent of its time in a mind wandering or daydreaming state.
-Eric Klinger, PhD, Daydream Researcher
I realized that I needed an outlet to express myself to another human being besides a toddler. I was spending too much time in my head– making to-do lists, meal planning, and wondering if I was making the right parenting decisions. It wasn’t a positive way to spend 50 to 70 percent of my time. I noticed that when I started to deliberately exist outside of my mommy role, I was able to live in the moment and be a more pleasant person to be around.
Here are some of the ways I got out of “mommy-mode” in the past few months:
