Being a mom and being busy are so intertwined that having even ten minutes to clear your mind can feel like going on a resort vacation.
It isn’t right that you should feel so overwhelmed by stress that you can’t see straight, as that can affect your ability to provide your children and yourself the love you all deserve.
Stop for a second. Breathe in. Breathe out. You’ve got this.
The world won’t fall apart if you don’t have it all perfect. Take a moment to take care of yourself. Your body and mind will be grateful.
You can relax and still attend to your parental duties. You can allow yourself to be a mom and do things that are not for your kids, give yourself permission to rest.
In fact, relaxing should be considered one of your biggest responsibilities. Since we moms have a tendency to forget, I want to remind you of 10 amazing ways to relax, as well as ways your husband can help.
Meditation
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Starting your day with meditation will help you to clear your mind from the stress that has been consuming it.
When you wake up, you might be feeling tense and full of unpleasant thoughts. By meditating, you won’t be attacking these thoughts. Instead, you’ll be letting them exist as they are and just embracing the moment.
It helped me get through my most drowning moments. You just need to find that peace you’re craving in yourself.
Reading
I don’t just mean scrolling through social media feeds and reading status updates. These things can remind you of negative thoughts and leave you without any sort of fulfillment.
Look for something with substance, such as a novel to read. It doesn’t have to be something harrowing. It should just be something you can lose yourself in whenever you need such unraveling.
It will help you escape into a whole new beautiful world and it will help your brain become more creative.
Meal Prep
You might love cooking for your family, but it can be frustrating to feel how much time is lost each day when you’re occupied in the kitchen. Instead of just getting takeout every night, you can try doing meal prep.
This involves having ingredients prepared for meals well in advance. That way, when it’s time to make dinner, it can go much faster.
You can use a day of the week, such as Sunday, to dedicated to meal prep. While doing this, turn on the music, put your favorite sweatpants on, and dance.
Who says you can’t make even mundane tasks interesting?
Exercise
I understand that you might not have the time or access to get to the gym every day. You might also not have the room or funds for a full-on home gym. However…
You can definitely find some way and time to exercise. Whether you’re doing some stretches, push-ups, or just jogging around your block, it’s something that can be demanding but also very rewarding.
You can really let go of stress from places that you didn’t even know existed. You’ll also be able to give yourself more energy to help you provide for your family.
Trust me, I know what’s going on now in your head after reading this: “I’m already exhausted, how the hell will I find the energy to exercise?”
Even when you feel on your most tired, you’ve actually spent only 40% of your energy.
Exercising will help you feel better, clear your mind and keep your body healthy. Make sure you push yourself at the beginning of creating a habit and later you’ll love it to the point where you won’t be able to spend a day without it.
Spa Treatment
Going to an actual day spa isn’t something you can likely afford to do on a regular basis, but you can recreate those positive effects at home.
Get some nice products, such as special soaps, and set up your bathroom in a way that makes it feel like you’re in a state of utter bliss.
This will take you away from your children, so make sure that your husband or another adult is able to watch them.
You might also enlist him for a well-deserved massage when you’re out of the bath.
Pour yourself a glass of wine, light up some candles, turn on the music and just enjoy the moment. You’re doing fine. You’re actually doing great.
Experience Nature
You might feel like you’re cooped up in places like your home, car, and office, that you don’t really get to experience fresh air like you used to, and you might be right.
Cabin fever can strike easily and cause a lot of stress. Therefore, you need to get out in nature whenever you can. The feelings of tension that come from feeling trapped aren’t easy to miss.
When you need a breather, step outside and go for a bit of a walk, even if it’s only for 10 minutes or so. To keep this tension from accumulating, try to make sure you get some quality time outdoors at least once a day.
Avoid Dwelling on Negatives
When we’re stressed, it’s very easy for us to zero in on what isn’t right about our circumstances.
Research has suggested that venting and doing things to release aggression like punching pillows actually just feed into negative attitudes.
A better coping mechanism is to focus on the positives.
When you’re feeling full of tension, remove yourself from the situation and do something that brings you positive feelings, such as one of the previous items on this list.
Notes For Dad!
She isn’t in this on her own. She’s already done a great part of the job, so stepping in is not only a necessity, it should be your obligation. Take care of your spouse, take care of the mother of your kids. You know how they say: “Happy wife – happy life!”
Dads – Help Without Asking
If you want to see a smile on your wife’s face that stretches from ear to ear, tell her you’ll take care of dinner, organize a family night with games about family, or something else on her schedule.
Parenting isn’t something you get to do on a part-time basis. It’s also not fair to absolve yourself of certain responsibilities.
Pitch in whenever you see an opening, and you’ll show you’re a great husband.
Dads – Clean Up After Yourself
And after her, and after the kids!
It’s amazing how much clutter can accumulate in a short amount of time. You might feel like things aren’t that messy, and you’re probably right, but think of how much mess is made without you really thinking about it.
When you get the mail, do you just stack the junk mail on the coffee table? Be thoughtful and stop messes before they happen, as well as cleaning up the ones that already have.
Dads – Don’t Deny Her Stress
When your wife tells you that she’s had an extraordinarily busy day, that’s not the time to one-up her or try to make her see that things aren’t actually that bad.
You need to be a sympathetic ear, not someone who is looking for flaws in logic. This is a key part of maintaining trust in a relationship, as your wife should feel like she can talk to you about what’s been going on in her life without feeling like she’ll be shut down.
Mutual respect also provides your children with excellent examples to model their future relationships off of.
Relaxation is something you can find if you really want to. You cannot force yourself into that state of mind, but you can use healthy activities that bring you there. Your efforts as a mother should never go unappreciated and neither should the love you have for yourself.