The Struggle is Real
As a mom, I’m sure you can list several things right now that you might be struggling with. Motherhood isn’t one-dimensional, there are many moving parts to keeping your kids and family happy and healthy. It’s not uncommon for something to fall by the wayside or to get lost in the shuffle. You’re only human after all. In this post, I want to talk about some common struggles in motherhood and how you can reframe your thinking to help lighten the mental stress you might be feeling right now.
Self-Care
Practicing self-care is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves as moms. While it’s common to think of self-care as a luxurious event, it can be, and oftentimes is, super simple. Next time you’re considering skipping your self-care or putting it off for something else, remind yourself of these things:
You’re allowed to take care of yourself.
Caring for yourself allows you to better care for others.
Self-care is important for your mental and physical wellbeing.
Finding Alone Time
You might be struggling with the feeling of being touched out, especially if you have younger kids. The constant stimulus of talking to, interacting with, and physically being near our kids or others can leave us feeling drained and longing to be alone. When this starts to happen consider the following:
Even five minutes of alone time can help you to feel refreshed.
Scheduling alone time if your schedule is super busy is entirely normal and super smart.
You don’t have to interact with your kids every minute they’re awake. Independent play is an important part of their childhood.
The Mental Load of Motherhood
There’s a constant running list of things to do as a mom: doctor’s appointments, sports schedules, packing lunches, buying new shoes. Having these tasks floating around in our brains is tiring and can lead to forgetting things along the way. Here are some tips to minimize the mental load:
Write everything down so it’s out of your brain in a concrete place.
Ask someone to take some of these tasks off your plate.
Set reminders on your phone to automatically nudge you when it’s time to do something.
Finding Balance
There’s a lot to balance between the kids, the house, your relationships, and your passions. Finding the time for everything is nearly impossible some days. Life is about balance, not an all or nothing mentality. Here are some ways to help you find balance in your life:
Make a list of your top priorities and make sure those are met first. Extra time can be spent any way you choose.
Some days will be busier than others. Lean into the calm when it’s available.
Your free time is a precious resource. Don’t spend it doing things you don’t want to do.
Getting Enough Rest
It sometimes feels like a badge of honor to be an exhausted mom. A small humble brag that you’re so endlessly busy you have no time to sleep. Cut it out. The more exhausted you are, the worse you will start to feel over time. You cannot run on empty, and that includes sleep. Make sure you are:
Going to bed at a reasonable time each night. Set a bedtime for yourself if you have to.
Resting when you have the time. Rest is not a punishment and does not have to be earned.
Take a power nap during the day when you can. Sometimes ten minutes is all you need to refresh your mind.
Trusting Others
A lot of us live in cultures where it’s not common to have a community of people surrounding us for help and support. Motherhood was not meant to be a solo venture. Having a strong support system is an important part of walking the journey of motherhood. When someone offers to help you, consider this:
They wouldn’t offer if they didn’t actually want to help you.
It’s great for your kids to have the opportunity to get to know other people and expand their world of trusting individuals.
Asking for help does not make you a failure. It makes you brave.
