Feeling overwhelmed and burnt out is something we can all identify with as moms. Whether we’re full-time in the workforce or stay-at-home warriors, all the responsibilities and tasks pile up and make us feel tired, anxious, stressed, and unappreciated. Though you love your family and probably most of the things that fill your schedule, it can still be difficult to stay positive and keep the bitterness away. Today, we’re sharing some tips for overwhelmed moms on how to bring peace and fulfillment to their life.
12 Tips for Overwhelmed Moms
We’re taking a break from the car seat information to bring a post just for you mamas! Feeling overwhelmed is a familiar feeling for every mom, and a recent study found 13% of you are experiencing extreme burnout. Below are some words of wisdom on how to fight stress and anxiety and enjoy these important years.
Acknowledge What You’re Feeling
The only thing worse than the bitterness you’re feeling is the mom guilt that comes with it. You might be burdened with so much stress and anxiety that you’re struggling to enjoy moments with your kids. It might mean you have less patience than before or maybe you retreat to your phone more often than you’d like to admit.
We’re here to tell you it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling! Your burnout comes from a real place, and it’s totally valid. You are a huge blessing to your family, and you deserve to be cared for too. Take time to acknowledge what you’re feeling—even journal about it. Then validate these feelings, and tell yourself you’re doing the best you can, because you are!
Build a Community and Ask for Help
Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. As moms, we always find this need to display only the best of what we have to offer. You might feel embarrassed about asking for help, but there is no reason to feel this way. There is not an individual on the planet who hasn’t wished they had another person to help get them through a tough time.
Build a community of friends or fellow moms that can help you with the big stuff and the small stuff. Whether it’s helping get ready for a big birthday party or coming over for 30 minutes so you can take an uninterrupted shower, this tribe should be there for you. Of course, you’ll return the favor when you’re in a better place to assist.
Clear Your Plate
Sometimes it’s hard to know what you can clear from your plate because maybe there’s nothing on the surface that’s unhealthy or feels appropriate to get rid of. Maybe your schedule is filled with work, activities for your kids, church commitments, weekly get-togethers, kids’ parties, family events, and volunteering. None of that sounds bad, right?
The truth is, when you look at your schedule, it probably won’t be obvious what to cut out. Just because something isn’t bad doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Having your schedule too full prevents you from enjoying any of your commitments! Practice saying “no,” and start cutting away to experience joy again when taking part in your favorite activities.
Stephen Covey coined the phrase, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” This simply means you put the most important things first and whatever doesn’t fit, doesn’t fit. Try not to worry about who you’ll disappoint or what you’ll be missing out on; instead, think about the gained peace and joy you’ll get with your family!
Practice Gratitude
Our brains are conditioned to think negatively. Bad experiences stick with us much easier than pleasant ones and for that reason, it’s really difficult to stay positive and fight off bitterness. The great news is you can retrain your brain to think positively and not fixate on the bad by practicing gratitude.
This can be done in a variety of ways. Try a gratitude journal or, if you’re spiritual, try praying over your blessings or meditating on things you’re thankful for. You could also make this family event and at the breakfast or dinner table, everyone could share what they’re grateful for. This practice will direct your brain to positive thinking over negative.
Prioritize Self-Care
78% of moms say they put off taking care of their own health to take care of their family. Self-care can feel selfish and like a waste of time, but it is one of the most integral pieces to your health and sanity! Remember, taking time to recharge will give you the positivity, patience, and insight to better enjoy your days and be the best mom you can be.
Self-care can look different for everyone too! It’s so easy to think of the Instagram norms of meditation or bullet journaling, but if those things don’t suit you, pick something else! You could read a book, play video games, craft, or even go for a drive! Find something that gives you peace and fulfillment.
Wake Before the Kids
Being awoken by your children with no time to get ready in peace or consider the day ahead can leave you feeling frazzled and rushed. If you’re a morning person and can still get your 8 hours in (ha!), consider rising before your children to get ready, grab some coffee, and maybe spend a little time scrolling Instagram or planning your afternoon activity!
Don’t Compromise Your Sleep
When looking at your schedule, it might look like sleep is the easiest thing to cut back on in order to keep the house tidy and the laundry put away. Your sleep is vital to your mental health, and your needs matter too, so make sure you’re getting in those 8 hours of sleep.
If you’re struggling, remember to schedule your priorities and cut out commitments that are interfering with your rest. Mom life should not automatically mean your restful sleep is a thing of the past. Your sleep is even more important now than it was before you had children.
Spend Time with Friends
Spending time with friends reminds you that you’re a person with an identity that’s more than just “mom.” Obviously, your role as a mom is an incredible part of you, but there is more to you the world likely doesn’t see if you’re depriving yourself of your social needs.
When you go out with friends, you can finally relinquish the role of caretaker for a few hours and instead care for yourself! During this time, you’ll feel restored and affirmed in your identity! Spending time with friends should never make you feel guilty.
Get Outside
As an overwhelmed mom cooking, cleaning, and caring for everyone, you may not get out much. The problem is, staying inside too long can cause lots of mental health issues. Sunlight is proven to help mood, synthesize vitamin D, and set your internal clock.
Getting outside to go for a walk or work will help improve anxiety, mood swings, sleep, and even appetite problems! Spending just 15 minutes outside a day will greatly improve your mental health and relieve that feeling of burnout.
Take a Break from Your Phone
Too often we’re not present enough. We scroll through our phones as a means of comfort, but then miss out on the beautiful things around us. Remember, our brains are hard-wired to think negatively, so if we miss out on wonderful and positive moments, our brains will struggle even more to experience joy and contentment.
Try to put your phone down in the important moments. Your children are only children for a little while, and you want to savor every sweet moment.
Make Your Home Functional
Is your home functional? You might think yes, but if you have piles of dirty laundry that collect in one area and hoards of toys that are always spread out in another, this might not actually be the case. Though you might be attached to aesthetic features of your home that resemble what you see on HGTV, really your home is meant to function for you.
If your family always kicks off their shoes at the front door and doesn’t carry them to the basket like you want, try putting a shoe rack or cabinet right by the door. Or if soda cans tend to accumulate by the couch, add a trash can. If your kids don’t play in the designated playroom, try adding some discreet toy storage where they do play.
Making your home work for you will mean you do less tidying and experience less anxiety imposed by your environment! Clutter and mess contribute a lot to feeling stressed, so eliminating opportunities for messes to pop up will keep you calm, and it’ll mean you’ll clean less. I have some house hacks and some car hacks that will help you get started!
Take a Break
You are allowed to take care of yourself. Don’t feel guilty for taking some time away from the kids to breathe and recharge. Get away for the evening or for the weekend with your partner or by yourself or have a mini-vacation with your girlfriends. Whatever it is, put it on the calendar and give yourself a much-need and MUCH deserved break! (God bless you and all you do!)
Feeling stressed and overwhelmed should not be an accepted part of motherhood. Instead, you must prioritize your self-care and practice positivity.
Alright, moms! Take the plunge. No more feeling sick and tired. We at Safe in the Seat are cheering for you on your self-care journey. Take a break, practice gratitude, and don’t be afraid to get some help.
We wish we could do more, but what we can do is help with any stress associated with the car seat process. We’ll take the chaos planning off your plate with our courses, kits and consults! Also, join our Instagram community for more love and support!