When I go to baby showers and the hostess asks us to write down advice for the mom-to-be, I share two thoughts: (1) Sleep when the baby sleeps, even though it seems completely impractical. (2) Accept help!
When my daughter was born, my mother-in-law would offer to come over to hold her, help with laundry, clean up the kitchen, anything. Determined to be independent, I declined almost every offer. I was sure I could handle it by myself.
Duh. Those first several weeks were even more exhausting than they needed to be because of my own stubbornness. Knowing when you need help and accepting it is a sign of strength, not weakness.
So when my husband was sick earlier this summer and my in-laws invited the rest of us for dinner, I accepted.
When a co-worker saw that I was stressed and asked if there was a way to help, I figured out a way she could take on some of the workload.
When I realized I need to improve my relationship with money, I reached out to members of a Facebook group and asked for book recommendations. And I listened.
An added bonus is when you let someone help you, it boosts their happiness too. Win-win.
Life is hard, but we don't have to do it alone.
Accept help.
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