Elephants are no strangers to being used as a metaphor.
The pink elephant in the room.
He has the memory of an elephant.
There is also the story of the blind men and the elephant.
However, perhaps the best-known elephant metaphor is:
“How do you eat an elephant?” The answer?
“One bite at a time.”
It sounds silly. Maybe you’ve heard it before. Maybe you haven’t.
But as silly as it may seem, the lesson is powerful.
It doesn’t matter how big the task ahead of you is…if you take it one small step at a time, anything is possible.
As the famous Chinese proverb states:
“A thousand-mile journey begins with one small step.”
You may be thinking…okay, what’s with all the metaphors?
Well, right now it may feel as if you have an “overstimulated/stressed out elephant” standing before you. Maybe you need to finally take the first step to get some relief and begin your selfcare journey, but you are riddled with mom guilt and no time (so you think).
Maybe you just need to learn how to take 10-15 mins a day for yourself and work your way up from there. Either way, the task can seem too big and intimidating to accomplish.
Just like standing in front of a real-life elephant.
But I’m here to tell you it’s not.
Starting a selfcare journey as a busy mom, that can help you reclaim the joy and excitement that is the real you, is not an impossible task. It doesn’t have to be intimidating. And it doesn’t have to be as painful as eating an elephant.
I’ve taken this “one bite at a time” psychology and applied it to my own personal selfcare journey over the past 4 years and honestly, I have not looked back since.
The two photos below are me before and after starting the journey to prioritizing myself.
To the left I was in the peak of postpartum depression after having my second baby. I felt lifeless, like I had lost myself to motherhood, not to mention being beyond overstimulated and anxious from all the craziness of the 2020 pandemic.
But once I took that first metaphoric bite, I was able to get to the second picture, which is me finally doing something (anything) for me, on a regular and consistent basis!! And let me tell ya, that feels damn good!
