Be Kind To Yourself
Ok mamas everywhere, enough is enough.
I see so many of us do it and I see it in myself.
We look at our bodies, souls and spirits in the mirror of our strongest and fiercest critic. We pick and pull apart everything that does not scream perfection.
And this voice, this voice that at time resembles more of a bully than an ally, gets in our corners and pours out in a fury.
Uttering words and phrases like –
“You can’t do anything right.”
“How could you be so stupid?”
It is this inner dialogue that becomes a weapon against ourselves.
If we as people carried the marks of own words, many of us would be walking on this planet black and blue.
And I think that should get under our skin.
The truth is - you are not your enemy. In fact, you need to be your own greatest friend. Your inner dialogue ought to be bursting at the seams with love and care. Not because you’re the most awesome person who has ever lived but because you are deserving of kindness. And you deserve to speak to yourself with compassion.
You know how when you were just a kid and your mom would take care of you? She led you into the bathroom to brush your teeth, she tucked you in at night, she knew when you needed rest, she fed you. It's like sometimes we grow out of that. Instead of implementing those same things for ourselves, we sort of just don’t. We forget. Or we get convinced somewhere that we don’t deserve it or we aren’t worthy.
You deserve it. You are worthy.
That when you need more sleep, you take a nap. That when you need to unravel, you journal some. That when your body is tired, you eat some fruit. That when your tank is low, you get filled by being with people you love.
You were made by God Himself. He dreamed you up. He knit you together and formed you in your mama’s womb. He breathes life into you every single day. He is the one that wakes you up each morning and sings over as you sleep. He chooses little things to show you He loves you every single day.
Love and care and be kind to yourself because He does. Because if He thinks you are worthy and deserving enough to be loved, then you are.
Be kind to yourself.
Because the world is full of people who don’t know how to be kind even to themselves.
But that can change. Starting with you.
Hey mama, I'm Karen Byker. I live in my hometown of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada.
I’m a Niagara Baby Photographer and mother of four that understands the overwhelm of parenting, balancing work, home and self care.
I have helped hundreds of mamas to slow down, pause and use photography as a way to freeze time so you can savour it a while longer. Let's chat about documenting the beauty through your chaos.
