Life as a SEN mum

This is something that we always seem to say at the start of each new year, and this year seems rather poignant, now only does the 1st January mark a new year and a new month, but it’s also the start of a brand new week. It really does seem the time to start afresh. But do we really need to?

I sat down last week, ready to set my 2024 goals and it dawned on me, why every year do we try to do everything all at once, almost like we are setting ourselves up for failure. On top of that, I was looking through our memories of the last year, and realised that despite all the challenges 2023 brought with it, it wasn’t all that bad a year, and the kids seemed happy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m exhausted and ready to hibernate, but there was plenty of good mixed in with the bad.

That’s not to say I haven’t made a few “resolutions” but I’ve sat and thought about what things I want to change and what really doesn’t matter quite as much. This pretty much reflects the biggest change, and that is getting better at prioritising. One thing I’m terrible for is trying to do everything all at once, and then ending up massively overwhelmed and nothing gets done, ultimately resulting in none of my goals and resolutions being met.

My first goal is one that I probably have every year, as do many of us, and that’s regarding weight. However, unlike other years, I’m taking a different approach, not so much focusing on the number on the scales (or what number I want to see), but breaking it down and making small changes at a time. Firstly by increasing my water, and decreasing things like caffeine and fizzy drinks, then I can move onto more of a focus on nutrition, and ultimately fitness. I always jump in feet first and end up exhausting myself and giving up.

In the interest of prioritising, one goal is to take more time for myself. It’s so easy when you’re a parent, and more so when you are a parent to SEN children, to totally neglect yourself and end up facing complete burn out. From taking time to read, to just keeping up with skincare, I’m determined this year to actually make some time to sit and relax and do something for myself each day.

Most importantly, 2024 is about the memories, we did plenty in 2023, but sometimes we allow life to overshadow plans, or we focus too much on the big days out etc rather than just enjoying the little things. That really is the biggest thing for this year, not so much changing every aspect of life, but just immersing myself in life and making the most of even the smallest of things.