4 Tips for Stressed Mothers
Have you ever wondered why many mothers feel overwhelmed? You’re not the only one! And in this article, we want to tell you why this happens and provide stressed mothers with strategies to properly manage their emotions. Don’t miss it!
The stress of being a mom
Having a child is a huge challenge and we moms discover the complex world of parenting as we go. Motherhood not only involves taking care of someone but also responding to social beliefs and mandates about what it means to be a good mother.
This is perhaps one of the most stressful things, as it adds a very heavy load to our backpack of responsibilities. In addition to dealing with schedules, sleep, and physical exhaustion, we must deal with comments about how things should be done.
For this reason, it’s very important to learn to manage the stress and emotions of parenting, in order to truly enjoy motherhood. And above all, so as not to neglect ourselves, as we’re a fundamental pillar in the lives of our children.
4 tips for stressed mothers
If you’re among those that consider themselves to be stressed mothers, try to put into practice some of the tips that we’ve prepared for you.
1- Learn to delegate and ask for help
For a long time, mothers had absolute dominance and control over raising their children. This custom passed from generation to generation, to each new mother who was born in the family. Perhaps this is the reason why many mothers find it so difficult to delegate and give ground to other people, including their partners.
However, the truth is that if you don’t learn to ask for help, you won’t be able to have time for yourself. And, in the long run, this will affect your emotional state, your self-esteem, and your personal relationships.
Now, delegating implies trusting that the other person knows how to do things as well as you. It’s not a matter of controlling what the other person does all the time because this will affect who tries to help you.
In any case, a good strategy is to attempt to give up childcare gradually, until you feel confident enough to leave the scene.
2- Get organized
The tyrant of time is one of the worst condiments of stress. To avoid running behind the clock all day, it’s important to maintain good organization of the activities, schedules, and commitments of the day.
For example, try to have the kids’ daycare close to your place of work or find a dance class that’s close to your gym. This way, it’ll be easier to coordinate your activities with those of the rest of the family.
At the same time, there’s no need for you to set yourself up against great feats. In order to achieve your goals, it’s important that you set yourself achievable objectives, which you can achieve little by little. Therefore, your emotional state will improve and you’ll avoid turning into a frustrated and stressed mother.
For example, if you’ve been wanting to declutter and organize the storage room for a while, you can start by sorting a shelf, then continue through the boxes and, finally, the suitcases. Little by little, you’ll achieve the order you desire without dedicating your life to it or postponing your needs due to lack of time.
3- Connect with your interior and take a moment for yourself
To reduce stress, it’s important that you have time to do pleasant activities, which help you clear your mind of routine and daily tasks.
Rediscover those plans that you used to enjoy making, such as an outing with friends. Expanding your world beyond bottles, naps, and homework will help you reconnect with the other facets of your life. Remember that you’re many things besides a mother.
You don’t need big plans to take care of yourself. All you have to do is allow yourself to sit in the sun for a while, enjoy a quiet cup of tea, or watch a series. After these breaks, you’ll see how your mood improves and how much you relax.
4- Express your emotions and share your experiences
Another tip is that you try to recognize your own emotions and accept the ups and downs of motherhood. No need to maintain the image of how wonderful motherhood is all day. Get excited about yourself!
While motherhood has a wonderful side, it’s also exhausting. There are good days and bad days, and we have to be real and honest about that.
Don’t keep your emotions to yourself and be sure to share your good and not-so-good experiences with your friends. Free yourself from the pressures with your close environment and take advantage of the shared moments to let it all out.
Acknowledging your emotions and accepting that there are days when you feel like taking a rocket to the moon is the first step to venting and finding relief. You’re human, not perfect, and it’s good that this is so, because your child needs you as human and authentic as you are.
You may be interested in: It’s Good for Your Kids to See You as an Imperfect Mother
In order to care for others, it’s important to take care of yourself
If you ask the stressed mothers around you what’s the most common feeling of parenting, many of them will say that the answer is guilt.
As soon as they give themselves a little more time or space, they feel that they’re failing to fulfill their role as good mothers. However, the most important thing isn’t the quantity, but the quality of the time you share with your children. This is what causes the relationship to become positive and allows a loving attachment to develop.
In order to love and care for others, it’s important to have time for self-care. In this sense, society must consider how it accompanies mothers and stop making judgments about the decisions they make. Supermoms don’t exist.
Each mother knows what’s best for her family and it’s very important that society supports her, instead of becoming her detractor. After all, the upbringing of the new generations is a collective responsibility.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Castañeda-Camey, N., de León Siantz, M. L., & Brazil-Cruz, L. (2019). Embarazo y maternidad: percepciones de las jóvenes en un contexto binacional México-Estados Unidos. Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, 17(1), 327-342. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.11600/1692715x.17120
- Gómez, Viviola (2004). Estrés y salud en mujeres que desempeñan múltiples roles. Avances en Psicología Latinoamericana, (22),117-128.[fecha de Consulta 31 de Agosto de 2021]. ISSN: 1794-4724. Disponible en: https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=79902211
- Olhaberry, M. & Farkas, Ch. (2012). Estrés materno y configuración familiar: estudio comparativo en familias chilenas monoparentales y nucleares de bajos ingresos. Universitas Psychologica, 11(4), 1317-1326.