Finding the Time

Journaling has been a very important part of my life since college. My journal is where I go to work things out. I've been known to joke that it's my brain on paper. For years I have written in my journal almost every day. Sometimes I would even write several times in one day. My journal went almost everywhere with me and I could often be seen writing in it whenever I had a few minutes down time. All of that changed once I had my daughter. The first few weeks I was so sleep deprived that I sacrificed my journal time for some much needed sleep. After a few weeks of that and all the new responsibilities a new baby brings; I was suddenly out of the habit of regularly journaling.

It has now been almost seven months since I had my daughter. The mental clutter has been building during that time. Now I've reached a point where that buildup is causing my stress level to increase and stupid little things that I can normally shrug off are bothering me. So this weekend I am going to take the time to do some serious journaling. Either my husband or my mother will watch my daughter and I will find somewhere quiet that I can be alone to journal. Right now I am really looking forward to that time away from everything where I can be alone with my thoughts. It has been way too long since I took time like that.

I do plan on building regular journaling time back into my schedule now. It is something that I need to function at my best. Taking the time to take care of myself helps me to be a better wife, mother and person in general. So it is in the best interest of everyone that I make sure to take the time to take care of myself. Sometimes it is hard to remember that. There is so much that needs to be done on a daily basis and it is often easiest to sacrifice the things that appear to only benefit ourselves. I'm finally coming to realize that having a happy mommy is in the best interest of my daughter too. Would she rather spend all day with a cranky mother or have slightly less time with a happy mommy?

What benefits have you noticed in your life from journaling? Do you notice a difference if you miss a lot of time?