Sanity Savers for Moms
Motherhood is a gift that most women start dreaming about in preschool. Four-year-olds cart around baby dolls and diaper bags full of plastic bottles of pretend milk. They learn to rock their babies “nigh nigh” and swaddle them tight.
No wonder snuggling your own baby as a real live mom is such a dream. But these little dreams can be draining too. Because they never sleep. And well, as a mom you’re their favorite person of all time. At least for now!
You want to soak it all up. And you do. But a little time for momma is good for the whole family.
When my daughters were one and zero, I went to a counselor. I expressed how overwhelmed I was. How tired I felt. How grumpy I was way too often, starting at 6am daily. It sounds so silly looking back, but my counselor asked me an insightful question. “You’ve told me what you do with the girls in the mornings. Now tell me, what do you eat for breakfast?”
Me?! Eat breakfast?! Who did he think I was to have time for that? And what kind of mother would be so negligent to ignore her children’s cries for long enough to stuff a granola bar in her mouth?
He instructed me that I must require myself to eat breakfast every morning. Bottled protein shakes even counted. But I had to eat something by 7am daily. I felt like my $150 wasn’t being put to good use with that counseling advice.
Now that my kids are 7 and 5, I know that odd-seeming first homework was right on point.
I had to still tend to myself. It didn’t mean I was free to go out with friends every single night. Or schedule all my days with only me in mind. No. Motherhood is a worthy and valiant sacrifice. But as moms, we’ll be better if we get a little rest and refueling too.
Here are a few easy sanity savers for moms.
Exercise.
Seriously this is a great stress reliever and energy boost. Plus you get some time to clear your mind and those endorphins make for a happier momma! Try joining a gym with a childcare option. Easy drop off makes workout time easier for you.
Join a mom’s group.
Moms need other moms to remind each other we’re all in this together. Find a group of moms to connect with around commonalities. Maybe it’s a group who mother kids with the same diagnosis. Maybe a group of women all reading the same book for book club. Or even a church small group will unite common bonds of motherhood to common ties of faith. Find a community for yourself.
Make a friend.
Besties weren’t only for the junior high lunchroom. Moms need pals now more than ever. Motherhood can be lonely and isolating at times. Don’t try to go it alone. You need a handful of people you can call up when you want to drop by or meet at Chick-fil-A.
Motherhood can drive us crazy even though we’re crazy about our kids. Find time to recharge and refuel yourself too, mom. Because we all know you mom so hard 24/7/365. But we’re in this together!
