Living Lighter Podcast (TRAILER)
We often get so caught up in our day-to-day lives that we forget to take care of us. Our cup ends up empty and we can’t figure out just how to fill ourselves back up again.
We conclude, “(Ughhhhhh) that’s just motherhood!” We decide we’ll just be a hot mess for all these years. And then we resolve to just, “suffer through.” But we’re NOT supposed to suffer through! Days or seasons may be more chaotic than others, sure…but we don’t have to be part of the #hotmessmomculture.
To step away from it though, we MUST slow down. We must take time to care for ourselves: our health, our hearts, our minds, and our souls.
Because here’s the thing: if we’re not doing well, there’s no way for our families to do well. We set the tone of the home…so if we’re burnt out, exhausted, and overwhelmed, that’s exactly how our families will feel when they walk through the door.
I’m Teresa Swanstrom Anderson …unlikely mom of six (2 bio boys we call our Blondies + 4 amazing kids from Ethiopia). I’m an author, speaker, Bible teacher, and entrepreneur…owning Airbnbs across the country. I've grown obsessed with helping overwhelmed women learn to slow down with Scripture, and in life…and would LOVE to help you, too!
Ok, listen…we’re reminded of the importance of taking care of ourselves first every time we fly on an airplane! The flight attendant tells us EVERY SINGLE TIME that we need to put our own airmask on first, before helping those around us. The SAME is true in motherhood and in life.
Like so many things, we want an instant fix…but this isn’t a pull through the Starbucks drive-through for a cup of liquid energy kind of thing! We need to recognize that our energy is sort of like gaining baby weight. If it took 9 months to gain that weight, it’ll likely take around 9 months to get rid of it…and THAT’S when we’re being super intentional. This is how stress and exhaustion work, too! It’s taken weeks, months, or even YEARS to get to the point of feeling completely tapped out…so sleeping in on a saturday morning or taking it easy for a week, won’t completely replenish you. It took time to get to the depletion that you feel…so give your mind and body time to heal and get out of it.
I know, I know… you’re saying to yourself, “Seriously…I’ve tried things before and I'm still running on empty.” And I hear you… as a working mom of six, I’ve been right where you are…for more years than I’d like to admit. So to start? We need to make a CONSCIOUS decision to live lighter, sounds too fluffy, right? Hear me out because this is just the beginning! The next step is to learn what things to say Yes and No to. Because remember…you CAN do everything…you just can’t do it all in the same season. Allow yourself to rest by setting some things down. Give your body time to regain energy. Think of your life as a plate that you’re filling up with stuff…at some point that plate is going to get too full and stuff’s gonna start spilling off the edges. When our plate gets too full, something is ABSOLUTELY going to tumble off, so let’s learn how to be intentional enough to decide what comes off…that way life doesn’t decide FOR us.
And can we talk about self care for a second…this isn’t going for weekly pedicures or having a spa day each month. That’s a treat, that’s not self-care! Plus, that’s just not realistic for most of us! Self care is daily acknowledgement that when you care for YOU, you can take better care of those around you. It can look like reading a book while sipping your favorite drink. It can be going antiquing or having lunch with friends on a fantastic patio. It can be DIYing, taking your dog for a walk at the park, working up a sweat at the gym, or sitting down in the backyard and simply enjoying the quiet…with nothing but birds interrupting your thoughts.
It could even be having your car washed and vacuumed out weekly…so you don’t have anxiety brought upon by all those crushed goldfish crackers and empty water bottles that seem to be everywhere. Self care is really anything that makes you breathe deeper and fills you up. It’s filling up your cup so you can pour out…because we can’t pour from an empty cup.
I’m so excited to share all I’m learning…because believe me, I’m an absolute work in progress! …and also share interview conversations with others who have figured out how to live life without the burnout, overwhelm, and dizzying pace we’re stuck in.
Join me as we hone in on stresses so many of us moms struggle with, focusing on themes of: Home, Mind, Body, Soul. Because there really is a better way…let’s figure it out together.
This podcast was produced by Pivot Media Co. The music was produced by Anu Alphonse.