As a Mother
By: J Escano
Tags: Motherhood, Depression, Creativity, Mothers, Parenting

Motherhood and Mental Health

I will always be a mother first. A mother of three young blessings. A mother to our Earth, as well as a mother to those in our communities.

As a mother, I have chosen the responsibility of helping my family find the greatness they were born with. It’s the beautiful part of motherhood that can be pressed onto others to create a sense of love.

While my parents divorced at the age of 4, my mother spent most of my childhood working to provide for us. Our bond lacked the essence of quality time, and it was something that I always resented her for. It wasn’t until I became a mother myself that I realized my mothers’ commitment to providing was for my betterment. I’ve faced hardships that my mother had gone through, which has instilled in me the debt I thought she owed. All I feel towards her now are honour and respect.

Mothering and Mental Health

For me, the hardest part of motherhood has been addressing the mental toll. There have been times I have let emotions take the best of me. I let frustrations turn me into a monster, sadness makes me feel like a stranger in my own skin, and anxiety rise to a thousand burning degrees. Getting a mental health break when I’m dealing with personal issues has been tough. Nevertheless, these emotions and experiences have made me who I am and have taught me lessons on how to deal with life. How to deal with the struggles and moments of joy, being grateful at all times, and enjoying the privilege of my situation.

What I’ve learned is that I can get through these emotional stresses with patience. Being patient allows us to hear and be heard. We can live in a world of peace, we just need to take the necessary steps. Establishing patience within ourselves is a learned process, and we need to take the steps towards preventing war within ourselves.

Adrienne Rich said:

“We need to imagine a world in which every woman is the presiding genius of her own body. In such a world women will truly create new life, bringing forth not only children if and as we choose but the visions, and the thinking, necessary to sustain, console and alter human existence-a new relationship to the universe. Sexuality, politics, intelligence, power, motherhood, work, community, intimacy will develop new meanings; thinking itself will be transformed. This is where we have to begin.”

We do all of this while fighting demons both physically and emotionally, yet a mother’s resilience is like no other.

As a mother, my passions have become ignited in wanting to make a change in this world with a strong desire to take action. The future of my children has become my motivation. I aim to leave behind a legacy for each one of them, making a difference and influencing future generations is the end goal.

As mothers, let’s think about the legacy we leave behind because we are the ones to create it. We hold the power to be encouraging, reflective, and involved. We can strengthen our communities through time with those around us.

As mothers, our souls yearn for relationships — connecting with others helps us to learn about ourselves and help one another grow. We can all thrive together as a society once we focus on the vulnerability of those around us. Mothers can lead the way.