Ladies, can we be real for a minute? Motherhood can be physically, emotionally and mentally DRAINING! I do not want to diminish that fact by talking about how rewarding it can be as well. This article is not about that. It is about YOU! A topic that doesn’t seem to get addressed much after children. Working parents get to talk about work-life balance which is essentially how not to let your work life encroach upon your personal life. I get that, and it’s 100% necessary. However, being a stay-at-home mom is also work. How do you find balance when your work is your life? We need to talk about this. Finding balance as a stay-at-home mom is just as important for your mental health as good eating and exercise is for your physical health.
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What do stay-at-home moms struggle with most?
For some people who have never stayed home fulltime with their children, being a stay-at-home mom means lounging around in your pajamas, playing with the kids, and a few extra naps here and there. I used to be one of the people who thought that. I was a working mom who was exhausted from the daily grind of work. Naïvely, I thought being a stay-at-home mom would be easier. However, now in my second year of stay-at-home mom life, I know that’s not true. There is nothing EASIER about it, especially with three children. Some days, I even feel like it would be easier to go to work lol! I said we were going to be real, right? Here are the things I have struggled with the most as a stay-at-home mom.
Hinderances to Balance as a Stay-at-Home Mom
- Over-stimulation. Staying home with children means that there will likely be a lot of activity going on. Between crying, laughing, fighting, hundreds of questions and the TV/devices, it can get quite noisy at times. By the time the kids go to bed, all I want to do is sit in silence lol.
- Sleep deprivation. If you are a stay-at-home mom with children who aren’t yet sleeping through the night, bless you! Moms have no choice, sometimes, but to keep pressing through no matter how much or little sleep we got. This is also true for those of us who run a business in addition to being a stay-at-home mom. The evenings might be the only time we get a chance to get work done. Exhaustion gets the best of me most days.
- Loneliness. This is a job that can be quite lonely. Often, you spend all day with kids with no other adults around. Not to mention, when do you have time to meet with anyone else?? The children will end up being your only friends if you’re not careful lol!
- Stress. Being a stay-at-home mom is about more than just staying home with the kids. You also still have to buy groceries, cook food, wash clothes and maybe even teach them! The workload can be very overwhelming.
- Depression. Any combination of the above items can lead to depression. If you are feeling depressed, you must reach out to someone!
How to find balance as a stay-at-home mom?
Life gets busy. We pour out so much of ourselves that we forget we are also a priority. Remember this, an empty vessel has nothing to give. Here are some ways to prevent yourself from becoming empty.
Make Time For Yourself
My number one piece of advice for finding balance as a stay-at-home mom is to make time for yourself. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. While we would all love to go on a solo vacation or a girls trip, the budget does not always allow for that. Making time for yourself can actually be very cost effective. Personally, one of my favorite ways to decompress is a relaxing, hot bath. I drop in one of my moisturizing bath bombs which smell SO AMAZING and lay back on my bath pillow. For maximum “me time”, I also dim the lights, light a candle and bring a good book or some mellow music. Girl, it is heaven on earth! If you are interested, here are the bath bombs and pillow I use.
Luxury Bath Pillows for Tub Neck and Back Support
Get Out of the House
Additionally, I find that getting out of the house and going some place like a coffee shop is also a good mental health break. Typically, I will bring my laptop along so that I can also work on my business. Even though it’s technically still work, it makes me feel human again. I actually believe that this is one of the reasons some people like going to work. You get to interact with other adults and you get some time away from the kids.
Connect With Other Mothers
Lastly, find balance as a stay-at-home mom by connecting with other mothers. If you are going to get out of the house for coffee, plan ahead and invite a mom-friend. Even if the meet up doesn’t always pan out, have those one or two mom-friends that you can chat with regularly by phone. I used to have a weekly prayer call with two other moms that I really enjoyed and helped me to find balance. We would each take turns sharing our prayer requests, then each person would pray for the other two. Often times, before we even got to the prayer, we would be laughing and bonding with one another over life. Never forget the importance of having female friendships, especially those who are also moms.
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Find your balance sis and stay blessed!
