A Victory Is A Victory, No Matter How Small!

A good friend of mine once said to me “You know, there’s no rules to making a ‘To Do’ list. You can put whatever you want on it.” I think about that from time to time because it is absolutely true! I make ‘To Do’ lists all the time as there is often a lot that needs to get done and it’s a way of helping me remember everything. I have post-it notes and lists everywhere.

Some days, my ‘To Do’ lists largely include phone calls with team members for the boys, orders to make for supplies or medications, running from one appointment to another, coordinating out of town appointments to reduce travels, the endless amounts of laundry, and so many other important things. But some days, my ‘To Do’ list includes things like getting dressed, leaving the house, or having a shower. It’s taken time, but I’ve learned that these ‘To Do’ lists are equally as important. I’ve learned that it’s okay to take a day to rest and regroup before picking things back up the next day. It doesn’t matter how small the list is or what it includes, it’s a victory for me if I manage to get it done!

As a medical mom, our days are jam packed with being a caregiver for our children, that time for ourselves usually always gets forgotten about. That’s one of the reasons why we get so burnt out. Our ‘To Do’ lists are a mile long and one phone call or appointment could check one thing off the list while adding 5 more on. They are never ending! Sometimes, it helps to have that smaller list for the day just so you can say “I checked everything off my list today!” What isn’t really relevant, is that the list was getting up, showering, napping, and playing with your kids. You still managed to complete everything on that list and that’s an accomplishment you should be proud of! It may have just pushed things around so you have more to do the next day, but having that day to just relax and breath is so important for us. It’s a reset to be able to power through the rest of the things we need to do.

My friend couldn’t have been more right. You can put anything on your ‘To Do’ list and some days that gets to be small things that are needed for ourselves so that we can carry on with what needs to be done.

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What is a “Medical Mom”?

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Stop feeding the bed!