Judgment!
Oh, the judgment.
While this picture and saying cracks me up beyond belief, it has a very powerful message.
Quit the judgment.
You might think I am telling you to quit judging others . . . I suppose if you're feeling guilty, you should.
But what I am really talking about is my hang-up on thinking others are judging me. It never really matters if I'm REALLY being judged or not, that's just my perception.
Let me explain.
Sitting in church (minus my hubby) with my four twiddles on Sunday went from bad to worse to down-right UGLY! And, sadly, I was only struggling with one child!
As I struggled through an un-God like assault from one of my children, all I could think about was what other's must be thinking of me and my parenting.
I need to quit the 'judgment' thing.
Of course, it might put it into perspective for you that we were sitting in the second row. There were lots of bodies behind me witnessing my hour of hell.
Whether or not anyone noticed what was happening or thought a thing of it shouldn't matter. No one sitting behind me knows that my assaulter had to purchase her own frozen yogurt instead of earning it like my other three children. None of them know about the hour my little one spent doing room time and chores to make up for the hour of energy that was drained from this warn-out mom!
I shouldn't have to explain myself or justify my actions. I'm human. I'm doing the best darn job I can. What more can anyone ask?
My second moment of defeat came when I was a little too proud of my calm self and how I handled my morning. I was actually enjoying the day and ecstatic that I didn't let the morning events sour the entire day.
You know how you shouldn't start feeling too good- or the bottom is sure to fall out? Well, it did. I had forgotten about an important obligation for my oldest child. COMPLETELY forgot . . . that is, until the obligation was over and there was no way to make up for my 'miss'.
Needless to say, I felt about as big as a pea. There was self-doubt, negative self talk and, of course, lots of hot tears. I think my 'bad mom' feeling came for lots of reasons besides missing an event. That must have been my signal that life is just a little overwhelming right now.
I woke up Monday morning revived, refreshed and renewed. It's crazy what a loving husband, a good night's sleep and some glorious caffeine can do for a day. I was back to me- knowing that I need to cut myself a little slack!
What's overwhelming you these days? Does it seem so minor that it might not really be the source of your stress? Don't beat yourself up if you don't have it 100% together.
Take time today to give yourself a break. Put yourself around people who lift you up. Talk nice to yourself. Remember, 'it's okay' to have a bad moment, hour or even day. Heck, sometimes it's okay to have a bad week or month. It happens.
My husband's question to me on Sunday afternoon offers good advice to us all. "Was the WHOLE day bad?" He reminded me of the zillions of things I did right, not the two things that went wrong.
Usually it's just a thing or two that is consuming our thoughts and emotions. Narrow down your self-destruction. Be specific about what's causing you most angst. Offer yourself the opportunity to find the good hidden within the struggles.
Self-Judgment #juststop
Stop worrying about what others are thinking #focusonwhatisgoingright
Quit beating yourself up #cutyourselfsomeslack
Enjoy the journey you have been blessed with, love the people in your life, smile :) and remember, 'It's Okay'.
Visit www.itsokaybooks.com to learn more!
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