As a parent, it’s not just about the day-to-day aspects of running a home, but it’s also about wondering if you’re doing the right things to help in the long run, such as whether you are encouraging healthy habits that will see your children into adulthood.
When you start to think about the variety of big and small tasks you need to complete, it’s easy to see why we can all begin to feel overwhelmed. This is why we’ve got to consider the right types of strategies:
Take Breaks
It sounds very simple; however, if we’re feeling overwhelmed, this is a surefire sign that we need to take some time out. You can tell yourself that it’s not possible because there’s just too much to do, but there’s an abundance of ways in which you can take a break, even for a few hours. Getting a childminder or a babysitter through a website like Care.com is a straightforward way for you to start thinking about what a couple of hours away for yourself can do.
Many parents feel guilty that they are spending time away, but this is why you need to step away from your home environment and gain a proper perspective. Taking a break will help you cool down as well, and even if you are going out, time away from your home ensures that you stop those stress levels from rising further.
Identify Your Triggers
It could be easy to lump all of our triggers into one thing: being a parent. But when we start to break it down into the fundamentals, you may recognize that it’s a certain day of the week when there’s too much to do, and the children are in a certain mood because they are getting tired.
This is why you need to understand these triggers and either look at minimizing these (where reasonable and physically possible), but also minimize the physical symptoms of the stresses they bring. We have to remember that stress is a physical symptom as well, and if we can take control of the physical side of things if we’re not able to address triggers properly at this point, it can make a massive difference in how we deal with the stressful situation.
An excellent example for many is using the Wim Hof breathing technique, which involves stressing yourself ever so slightly so you become inoculated with those feelings of being overwhelmed.
Know How to Look After Yourself
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, sometimes you can lose the ability to take care of yourself because you spend so long trying to take care of others.
Sometimes it can be straightforward to learn how to take care of ourselves and just practice the bare basics like eating three square meals a day, but it’s also by making sure that you prioritize activities that give you peace and fulfillment, even if this means doing it before the kids wake up.
DiaryOfAnHonestMom.com offers a number of great self-care tips that can help in almost any circumstance.
It’s never good to feel like this; however, there are an abundance of tools available. It’s just about finding the right ones for you.