Mother’s Day is being celebrated today in the USA. This day conjures the full spectrum of experience and emotion for both mothers and children—which covers every single person in the States (everybody was birthed). A wonderful celebration for many to acknowledge and thank their Moms for the gift of life, support and care—and for mothers to reflect on the experience of being a mother. For many others, this can be a complex day of grief, hurt, and sorrow.
Whether your experience of this day is marked by joy and gratitude, or has you looking for the “it’s complicated” response option, it’s worth reflecting upon the verb mother, or the experience of mothering. The active definition of mother is to “look after (someone) kindly and protectively…” with synonyms including words such as: nurture, protect, cherish, tend. When was the last time you felt nurtured and cherished by yourself (self-compassion)? When was the last time you kindly and protectively looked after your body (body compassion)?
What would an expression of mothering be for you? What would it look like to show compassion to yourself? To your body? Here are just a few ideas to get us started mindfully mothering ourselves, our bodies:
*Stop to take a deep belly breath during the day
*Acknowledge the difficulty of a situation and show support by placing your hand over your heart
*Turn up the volume on your favorite song and let the joy of the music move the body in dance
*Treat yourself to your favorite food (without guilt or condemnation)
*Go outside
*Plant flowers
*Notice what brings you joy and do more of that.
The possibilities are endless. How will you cherish your body, yourself today?
Happy Mother’s Day.