Mom Isolation
Hello Friends,
Being a mother can be very lonely. I bet you no one told you that when you announced the good news.
When you think about it, you're cooped up after you have the baby recuperating and adjusting to your new "normal". If it's winter, you're really only coming out for doctor's appointments. If you have multiple little ones, the logistics of going out are often deterring and overwhelming. Perhaps you're the first of your friends to have children, or you have recently moved and don't really know anyone. Maybe you have been experiencing symptoms of PPD, and it's all in your head but very real. Alas, you find yourself alone with your kids or your new "mom thoughts" often.
I think that I have experienced just about all of the above situations and more probably. I have certainly found myself incredibly lonely at times. If it wasn't the fact that my family has only one car {typically with my husband} and the isolating effects of being stranded at home all of the time, it was often the thought that few people understand what I am going through as a young mother on a day to day basis.
Of course, this couldn't be farther from the truth. As mothers, we are ALL facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. It took me making the extra effort and arrangements to attend my church's MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) group to find the camaraderie that I needed. My own inner thoughts also tend to foster a sense of isolation. Thus, I needed to be open with my husband, my Mommy, and my very best friends about how I was feeling in order to not feel so alone in it all.
Most importantly, I needed to realize that I wasn't alone. All this time...through it all...God is with me. When I turned to God and the Bible with my loneliness and feelings of isolation, I was reminded that we are never TRULY alone. I think that is a lie that "The Enemy" whispers in your ear in order to make you feel bad during a time in which you should be feeling so happy.
This is something that I have to constantly remind myself. I am by no means "healed" of such feelings, but I find comfort and great companionship in the Word of God. Also do your best to find "mom" friends. Set up play dates, join a mom group, step out of your box, and be open so that you and your children can get some healthy human interaction in this season of motherhood.
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God"
~Isaiah 41:10
"A man who has friends must himself be friendly,But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." {That's Jesus Ya'll...}
~Proverbs 18:24
