Protecting Your Peace | New Video on Youtube
Four Ways to Protect Your Peace In A Noisy World
As a new mum or not-so-new mum, protecting your peace is essential for your well-being and the well-being of your family. I wasn’t too great at doing this in the early days of motherhood. I don’t believe it should stop with early motherhood either but in the earlier days you tend to be more vulnerable and it may feel like your hormones are fighting you. In the early days of motherhood, especially with my second child, I consumed too much unhelpful media, specifically social media. I tried to use it as a distraction from my reality and as a soothing balm. Unfortunately, nothing external can soothe an internal problem. Only God can do that. Scrolling through my phone at every opportunity just caused more anxiety, stress, fatigue, you name it.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Finding and protecting your peace as a new mum amidst the joyful chaos of motherhood can sometimes feel like navigating a stormy sea. Yet, amidst the challenges, there are ways to anchor yourself in God's peace. I’ll share some things that helped me and are still helping:
Make prayer your lifeline.
This may seem obvious but every time I reached for my phone, I made my phone my lifeline instead of prayer. Whether it's a whispered plea for patience or a heartfelt thanksgiving for the little moments of joy, connecting with God keeps me centred. There is a reason God asks us to ‘Pray without ceasing.’ We need it more than Him. I had to let go of my idea of what quiet time looked like and have my quiet time in little moments of my day, sometimes with an uninvited guest…or two.
I’m reminded of the story of Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, heroes of Christian faith. She had nineteen children, of which nine died in infancy. Amidst the beautiful chaos of mothering several children, she would find time to pray by lifting her apron over her head and spending time with the Lord in that moment. It was said that over time her children understood that when mummy’s apron was lifted over her head she was to be left alone.
Set boundaries.
Learn to say no to commitments and activities that drain you. This is a no-brainer but sometimes in a bid to see other adults we commit to activities that wear us out more. Prioritize spending quality time with your loved ones and nurturing your relationship with God. This can also mean setting boundaries for your personal thoughts and desires. There were many things I still desired to do in the early days and when I would force it I would end up more anxious and burnt out. I had to accept my limited capacity for my current season. I had to fight thoughts about feeling like I should be further along and thoughts of comparison.
casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,
Find your tribe.
It’s not cliche. Finding my tribe of fellow Christian mums has been a game-changer for me. Sharing stories, and testimonies, swapping tips, praying for one another and simply knowing I'm not alone in this journey strengthens me. It may be hard to meet up regularly especially when you have to consider sleep schedules and different babies’ temperaments. But if you can push past all the potential obstacles, when you DO find like-minded mothers, you’ve struck gold. It was one of the reasons I created the New Mums Room online community and although we’re spread across different parts of the world, we’re always there to encourage, celebrate and cheer each other on. If you would like to join the community please fill out the form below.
Be intentional about shutting out the noise.
Delete your social media apps or remove them from your Home Screen. Removing them from my Home Screen and not necessarily deleting them helped me a lot. When checking my Home Screen I wouldn’t see them but I would see my Bible app and open that instead. If this doesn’t work for you delete them altogether and access them on your desktop. After deleting them you may not need to check them out on your desktop at all.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Through it all, lean on God and His Word. Trust in His thoughts for you and your little one, surrender your worries, and rest in His love.
You’ve got this, mama.❤️
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