Rearranged schedules. Forbidden favorite activities. Bored and restless kids. Yep, there’s quite a bit for moms to be stressed about nowadays.
Fortunately, you don’t have to give in to that stress. In fact, you don’t even have to deal with it in the first place.
That’s right.
By following the 5 tips described below, you can avoid the exhausting, soul-crushing, and debilitating stress of motherhood.
Ready for less stress and better mental and physical health?
1. Know when you’re getting stressed – and understand why it’s happening.
This might sound like a big “duh,” but it’s not. Too often moms ignore the warning signs our bodies are giving us, the red flags that should alert us to increasing stress.
It might be that headache that won’t go away.
Or maybe it’s those sore shoulders that you can’t seem to relax.
Perhaps it’s those dark and dreary thoughts that linger like a dense fog.
Whatever it is, your body is quite good at telling you when you’re getting stressed. And if you want to live a less stressful life, you’d be very wise to listen to it.
2. Focus on fewer tasks each day.
I know we all think we our mom trophy will be bigger and more beautiful if we can accomplish as much as we can in one day. But that’s a generally unhealthy approach to life.
Sure, there are a certain number of must-do tasks that we must cross off the list. But sometimes it’s easy to think that the more we do each day, the better we are as mothers. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
The ideal way to view it is to give fewer things more of our attention. This is in sharp contrast to the modern trend of spreading one’s self too thin.
The result is more focus, more relaxation, and more energy for the tasks we take on.
Turns out less really is more.
3. Take a break when you need one.
I know that taking time for ourselves is considered taboo for us moms. But I don’t care. We need to do it. The more, the better.
Any time I start to feel guilty about looking after myself instead of everyone else, I stop myself and remember this important truth: by taking better care of myself, I am by extension taking better care of everyone else.
Your family and friends need you to be energized and fully present whenever you’re around. The only way you can do that is by taking a break when you need one.
So go for it. When you start to feel the stress coming on, that is the time to hunt down some good old-fashioned relaxation. You will be so glad you did – and so will everyone else.
4. Exercise as often as you can.
Kickboxing is my go-to form of exercise, and honestly, I can’t imagine life without it. I’m able to kickstart (pun intended) all those wonderful endorphins that keep me looking on the brighter side of life.
I highly recommend finding your preferred form of exercise, and then sticking with a routine schedule for doing it. It’s an incredibly effective way to prevent stress, and if the stress has already begun, it can help keep it from getting worse.
Exercise really does do wonders for your physical and mental state. If you want less stress in your life, add more exercise. I promise you won’t regret it.
5. Find your personal support group.
None of us are meant to do this whole mother thing on our own. Yet we keep trying to juggle everything life throws at us on our own. As if we will get some sort of extra reward for putting our head down and fighting through life without involving other people.
If this sounds like you, please hear this: refusing to seek your own personal support group will inevitably do much more harm than good.
That’s right. You are actively hurting yourself (and the folks you care about) when you don’t pursue the comfort of like-minded souls. You might pull it off for now, but you will eventually be worse off because you don’t have someone to support you.
I urge you to find your community. Build relationships with the people who know what you’re going through. Find comfort in their company. Be the helping hand in their time of need, and don’t be afraid to ask for their support when you’re struggling.
Again, we are meant to get through this long and winding road with other people. If you don’t have them yet, today’s the day to make it happen.
Closing thoughts
Stress is often considered just another part of life, but I disagree.
While there will always be things in life that have the potential to cause stress, that doesn’t mean you have to accept all those nasty, negative physical, mental, and emotional effects of stress.
You can overcome stress. Heck, I’m 100% convinced that following the 5 tips I described above will enable you to actually avoid stress all together.
Sounds good, doesn’t it?
The Music Mom: Eileen Carey 