stress reducing mom burnout

Have you ever felt unheard and unrecognized? Do you feel like your stress is at an all-time high?  When we become mothers, it is not uncommon to feel like we have lost our identities. Some may even start to feel invisible to your true calling in life.

Decreasing stress, exhaustion, and burnout in our lives is a balancing act. Often, we as moms will put everyone and everything before our own welfare. We cannot be all things to everyone if we are exhausted and stressed out. When we are overwhelmed, no one gets the best of us. Before we can truly take care of anyone else, we must be able to take care of ourselves.

Everyone has physical, mental, and spiritual needs that should be met consistently met. We are all entitled to take a little time for ourselves every now and again. Taking a little “me” time will help you to decompress and recharge. It is important to remember that “me” time can only positively impact us if we allow ourselves to switch off our worries and anxieties. This means to be still, quiet, and calm in the chaos. When we become calm, the most remarkable things occur—everything around us becomes calmer. By creating time for our well-being in our lives, balance is much easier to maintain.

Below are a few of the best ways to reduce mom burnout.

Take a Breath

Take the time to notice how your body responds to each revitalizing breath. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in everyday life that we forget the wonderful gift of breath.  

How to do this: In the bathroom, while waiting at a red light, while washing the dishes just breathing can bring in positivity and release negativity and tension.

Visualize Your Life

Take the time to think about what type of mom, wife, friend, professional woman that want to become. Spend time looking at where you are today and where you want to be and make a plan to get there.

How to do this:  Visualize yourself as you how you want to be, and be this person. Read more about the Law of Attraction.

Stay Active

Staying physical activity is a great way to conquer stress-related issues. Being active can increase your state of mind which can help you to recognize stress related issues. Exercise can even cause you to feel mentally stronger.

How to do this: Get more exercise by walking, biking, or using an exercise DVD. Even if you have little children that are still in a stroller, you can get exercise through the Stroller Workout for Busy Moms.

Take Control

Taking control of the situation can empower you. Feeling out of control can produce more worry and increase your stress level that can also negatively impact your mental and physical well-being. Occasionally taking control means giving up a little control. Many moms don’t realize that they don’t have to do it all. More times than not, help is there for the asking. By reaching out your hand and asking for assistance, can give you a much-needed respite from your stress.

How to do this: Delegate some chores to your children or husband or children. Ask a neighbor or friend to watch your children for a few hours. You can even look for financial assistance programs for times when money is tight.

Decrease Unhealthy Habits

Avoid using unhealthy habits such as junk food, caffeine, smoking, alcohol, or other means to cope with difficult situations. While this can create a temporary relief from stressful situations, it isn’t a lasting resolution and usually makes you feel worse in the end.

How to do this: Eat healthier foods, stop smoking, and decrease alcohol and caffeine consumption to feel better physically as well as mentally. Meditation and yoga have been found to provide an excellent source of long term stress relief.

Connect with Others

Sharing a problem with family or friends can often help to often makes it easy to think about and find practical solutions to problem-solving. Being around other moms will help you to realize that the problems and stressors you are facing may not just be unique to you. You may even learn new coping techniques.

How to do this: Join a local moms group or Facebook group with other moms who are in the same or similar situations as you to make it easier to relax.

Challenge Yourself

Use your personal challenges and goals to help you build confidence in yourself. Never stop learning and challenging yourself. This will increase your confidence and make it easier to deal with stressful circumstances.

How to do this: Be proactive and learn a hobby or take a class. Challenging yourself is a great way to make you more mentally strong in order to take control of your life. You can even take FREE classes from Harvard from home.

Laugh Often

Many things in our life can contribute to our stress levels. Research shows that laughter can reduce stress and increase our feeling of well-being by providing a physical and chemical release. When we laugh, endorphins, the feel-good hormone, are released helping us to become more present in the moment and momentarily forget about our stress and problems.

How to do this: Watch a funny movie or show, be around people that make you laugh, or even check out the new trend of Laughing Yoga to help you to laugh more.

 

How do you deal with mom burnout?