A Guide for Moms on How to Let Go of Everyday Stress
When the days of mom stress are long and full, you need some ways to reduce stress. Ways to handle the extra pressure and stress that is stealing your joy and keeping you from being the mom you want to be each day.
Mom Stress is that overwhelmed feeling you get when everything around you is crazy.
Every mom feels it at every stage of motherhood.
From getting babies to nap on a schedule to figuring out what is causing a baby to cry, teaching toddlers the word “No” to helping kids with schoolwork, running kids around as they go from one activity to another…
Then, teaching them to drive, choosing colleges, watching them interview for jobs, making huge purchases for cars and houses… dating, school pressures, friend drama, young adult emotions… every stage of motherhood includes some amount of stress.
Moms with kids of all ages have some amount of daily stress included with that stage of motherhood.
Regardless of whether the kids are in school or if the kids are homeschooled, there is a lot of intensity to the days that causes a measure of stress.
We all feel it. It might all be very different at different stages but we all. feel. stress.
The pressure of mothering in the everyday pace of life can get overwhelming.
There are days that you might wish you could find a quiet place to rest, escaping from the noise and needs of those around you.
There are days that just doing the laundry is a huge task and grocery shopping feels like the biggest job on earth.
Sometimes the thought of bedtime is exhausting and the idea of bath night makes you want to put the kids to bed dirty.
We all have things we do to cope with mom stress but I thought I’d put together my list here for you… get ready to add to the list at the end!
Ways To Reduce Stress:
1} Time alone with God. Nothing works as well as that. Whether it is getting to church for a small Bible study or scheduling a prayer night with other moms or just turning on some worship music… you will feel amazingly refreshed after just a short time in His presence. You will feel encouraged and loved. I promise.
2} Coffee, tea, hot chocolate. Take 5 minutes to sit down and enjoy your favorite treat. This always helps you refocus and start again.
3} Call another mom in the same season of motherhood as you. No one understands like someone going through it with you. Call them. Have them share what is crazy about their life. It will help.
4} Call another mom who is a season ahead of you. Ask them questions. Tell them what you are going through. They will not only understand but will have advice because they’ve been there and made it through.
5} Let the house be a mess. This one is REALLY hard for me. I have a hard time resting and relaxing if things are not picked up and the house is a mess. Sometimes, I have to be ok with jobs unfinished and teach myself to relax in the midst of chaos.
6} Go for a drive. This is SO nice. If you have littles, put them in car seats, start a movie if you have that capability in your vehicle, drive through for a vanilla coke at Sonic and drive away through the country or on a side road or anywhere really… Totally worth the 3 or 4 dollars in gas! If it’s just you, take a drive to a local park or play your own music or podcast. It’s a quick getaway that can really help.
7} Read or listen to a book. Not a study book or a self help book or a learning book or anything that will make you feel pressure to change or do something different. Just escape your day and travel to wherever your book takes you. Enjoy a story, get immersed in something you have no responsibility to fix, clean or repair and let yourself relax.
8} Journal. Draw. Write. Color. There are moments I have to just grab my laptop and write. Whether it is a post I never publish or a blank word document that I fill with thoughts or a notebook where I write scripture or a journal to fill with brain dumps… this helps calm my nerves and put words to the stress around me.
9} Get out of the house. Go to the mall. Visit a friend. Sit at the park. My home can be the most restful place and the most stressful place all at the same time. Sometimes I just need to leave the to do lists and the laundry piles and the messy bathroom and see something of the world around me. I come back home refreshed and ready to tackle my house.
10} Get a babysitter. This can be for your adventure out of the house or it could be so you can tackle a big project, take a nap, mow the yard, or just sit for a couple hours!
11} Remember that your kids are growing up and your season with them is actually very short. Do something fun with your kids to remember the joys of their laughter, antics, and comments.
12} Don’t try so hard. The world does NOT rest on your shoulders. The world will go on if you make a mistake. God can handle your stress and He will help you through it all. One day at a time, one step and decision at a time.
13} Movement. Get exercise, push the kids in the stroller, hike through the woods, go for a bike ride, try yoga, pilates, or somatic breathing. Movement is proven to lower stress and is so good for your body.
14} Do healthy things. Don’t wait to “start on Monday” to make healthy decisions. You can start right now. Focus on better foods, movement, sleep, and gut health.
15} Get a life coach. Wherever you are in your mom journey, having a life coach can offer support, be a place to talk and soundboard ideas, process life events, and have someone ask questions, listen, and hold your story, your stress with you. A coach can be available when you need someone to walk the mom journey with you.
What can you add to the list?