Amanda Millemon is a special needs mom, Physician Assistant, & entrepreneur living in Omaha with her husband, 2 daughters, 2 step-daughters & a black lab, Lynnie. Her goal is to inspire other special needs moms to make themselves a priority & remind them of the importance of self-love.
I looked really deep into my eyes & said to myself in the mirror - you finally did it. I finally did something for you. Up to that point it was taking care of everything & doing everything for everyone else. And I hadn’t taken the time to look deep in my soul & ask myself - what do I really want to be happy? Being a special needs mom. Caring for her over the years. Doing what was best for her. Finding a partner for her that would be a good parent for her. I hadn’t taken the time to really look at myself. For the first time I made a choice of self love. It didn't happen overnight. It took a lot of self-reflection to realize to do something that matters in myself. You can’t pour from an empty cup. It’s time for you & time to take care of myself.
The reality of caregiving is always juggling schedules, ensuring their needs are met & how am I going to get my needs met & things done.
In a caregiving family, there’s always one person that has to make sacrifices. It’s your new reality. You usually grieve the life you had or think you had. Once you come to the acceptance, you then can create a new reality. Then work with what you have & accept that’s what life has handed me. These are the cards you've been dealt. I don’t think anyone’s life is easy. It’s ok to grieve & wish it was different. But then you have to move from that. You go through that repeatedly. But then you have to remind yourself of your reality. You can always look at what’s lost or find the beauty in the moment.
Once you get to that point of embracing your reality, life gets so much more beautiful.
You can use your situation to find a new you instead of thinking of it as holding you back in life. At the same time, there are moments you grieve, feel lonely, etc). That’s normal. You need to have those times. Give yourself time & grant yourself grace. It sucks & acknowledge it. Allow yourself time to feel those frustrations. Then you pick yourself up & move on. It won’t make anything better but you need the time. You can’t be happy all the time. BUT then move on to what’s next - acceptance and new
Remember it’s important to find that balance & take care of yourself. It’s not selfish or negative.
Reduce overwhelm? 1. Focusing on the things we can control vs what we can’t control. We have no ability to change that. When we do focus on those we can’t control - that’s where the overwhelm starts. We can control relationships, our energy, our well-being, etc. 2. Switching your thoughts, you become more empowered & feel control in your life. 3. Make a list of things you have control over in your life - making goals & you'll see a difference. 4. Gratitude is a great practice & makes you appreciate what you were
Acceptance and gratitude are the two things that helped me
It's important to eliminate things that are too much. Learning to say no to the things that are not important. Narrowing down what’s a priority. Letting stuff go & learning to do that helps your mindset. You don’t have to do everything & it doesn’t need to be perfect. Saying yes to yourself. Being ok with not be super busy.
Find Amanda at
