7 PROVEN AND TESTED WAYS MOMS CAN FIND RELIEF WHEN THEY ARE STRESSED

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   Being a mom to two toddlers ages 2 and 4 is like a roller coaster ride which kickstarts from the moment i wake up till when I can finally get some sleep at night. I'm sure most most moms can relate to this. For a stay at home mom/mompreneur like me, my typical days starts as early as 6 a.m (when the kids are on holiday) and 5 a.m (when school begins) between preparing breakfast, cleaning the house, bathing the kids, preparing the them for school, dropping them at school, preparing ahead of when they come back, sparing time for my business(production and sales of my pregnancy pillow, nursing pillows and baby wraps and blogging to share my 2 cents on motherhood) picking them up, working on their homework together, bathing them ,squeezing in some mommy and kids time (playing hide and seek, reading together), feeding them................. Just writing down how my day pans out is making my head spin already(would love to go on and on about how my day ends but i don't want to bore you because you are reading this for a solution) that's my reality and I have come to terms with it by taking certain practical steps to destress, maintain a level of sanity and keep my family happy despite having so much to do.

TIPS TO DESTRESS

1. MINDSET ADJUSTMENT:Come to terms with your new reality as a mom.Do not look back and make comparison with your past when you were single or before you had a child. Accept the reality that your life revolves around your kids, love and make the best out of your new circumstance.

2.RE EXAMINE YOUR PRIORITIES: I guess like me your priority is to have a happy and balanced family life. To achieve this therefore, you need to examine your schedule to evaluate what is eating up your time (cut out time wasting/non productive activities)such that you have little or no time to rest or spend quality time with your family. A happy family starts with a happy mom and it is a less stressed mom that can be a happy mom(I know that firsthand) a practical suggestion could be to switch to being a work from home mom (a personal decision and sacrifice you can make for your family but it totally depends on your financial circumstances and support of your husband).

3.DO NOT SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF:No matter how foolproof your strategy is to being the good mom, things are bound to go topsy turvy sometimes, don't sweat it, don't beat yourself up with regrets or lamentations, Simply pick yourselves up and try again. We are all work in progress as parents, no one is perfect and we have our downtime moments. If you can laugh it off, all good and well.

4.GET HELP. I have a challenge(still working on it though) here personally because most people are not trustworthy, security and safety issues and the selfish intentions of those who help(speaking from personal experience).At this point, i must acknowledge my husband has been a great help and support in this area. If you have a supportive husband or are surrounded by genuine people who are willing to help and are trustworthy, please and please ask for help.The little time you can get to rest can reset your tired and stressed self.

5.ANALYSE AND ACCEPT YOUR LIMITATIONS.As a mum, it's important to do a SWOT (Strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. When you do this then you can determine what you can reasonably handle. Don't take on more than you can do as this will contribute a great deal to your stress level which ultimately will lead to a breakdown. After the analysis, it is important to accept that within your circumstances, there are certain things you can't do, this will prevent you from making comparisons with another person and pushing yourself beyond what you can reasonably do.

6.MAKE A SCHEDULE: Have a plan for each day, from the moment you wake up, determine what you can achieve within a 24 hour period. Put it in written form,you may think you don't need it but trust me, you do because when you see this in written form, you have a clearer picture of how your day will run and how you can effectively squeeze in time to rest and cut out non essential activities. Meal plan for the day should be included(not knowing what to prepare as a meal can sometimes disorganise your whole day)

7.MAKE BEING A MOM FUN: That you multitask, have less sleep and spend more time with your little ones does not make being a mom boring, with the practical steps I have listed(though not exhaustive) you can squeeze in time to do what makes you happy (hanging out with friends, shopping, dancing, going for long walks, watching tv, reading, e, t.c)


 Remember being a mom is an exciting experience!with my two cents on destressing as a mom, you can make motherhood a joyful and less stressful experience. I still struggle because the last time I checked, I'm still human but applying these tips has reduced my stress level a great deal so If you have a friend out there or you know of anyone who needs this tips, please kindly share and don't forget to drop your comments if you think
this post was helpful.