Friday, March 21, 2014

Exhaustion Aisle 9

Yesterday while out shopping I ran into another Mom-Acquaintance.  We exchanged the normal pleasantries in the middle of the grocery aisle and when she asked me how I was doing I replied, "I'm well".  Except I wasn't "well".  I slumped over the cart handle and with a big smile and sigh I uttered three words that most moms wouldn't be caught dead admitting, "Truthfully, I'm exhausted".  Something strange happened once those words spilled from my mouth.  My friend relaxed.  Her whole body language changed; the tension in her shoulders seemed to float away, her face showed that she knew what I was talking about, and she smiled and said, "Me too, I get it".

Moms tend to not admit how tired they are, how simply exhausting it all is.  Why?  I think it's filed under the same category as not asking for help.  Not only do I tend to not complain about being exhausted, I get really pissed when I hear my husband talk about how tired he is, how much sleep he didn't get, or how long the day is going to be.  Dude, really?!  It's not his fault, he can admit when he's tired.  I shouldn't expect him to not let his exhaustion be known.  I shouldn't expect myself to keep it all inside either.

I won't bore you the reasons why I'm tired.  If you're a mom you get it.  I will say that it felt good to be honest with myself.  To say it out loud.  It's not about finding ways to slow down and do for yourself.  It's about realizing you don't have to hide just how tired you are.  It's okay to admit it.  You won't be any less busy or any less tired when you speak those three little words, but you will be less stressed about holding it all together in the middle of the aisle trying to be well.  Try it, Trust Me.  Now, go take a nap!


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