In my opinion there is one role we choose to take on as women and it is the most difficult, yet the most profound, growth provoking and fulfilling. You got it, our role as a mother, one day all of a sudden we are responsible for this little human, with no guidelines and no rule book or manual to speak of.
Can you imagine starting a new job and being thrown in the deep end with no instructions, help or flotation devices to speak of. Just wouldn’t happen right, hello HR we have a problem.
So of course mums experience different levels of stress throughout their child’s life, I’m just learning now with teenagers, one nearly 18, it doesn’t get better, or worry less, it’s just different.
“The older they get, the bigger the age number, the bigger the problems”
So let’s look at some strategies aka Stress Busters For Mums to help you through some of those stressful periods as a Mum.
- Breathe
Breath work is very powerful in lowering your stress levels, helping you to self-regulate your emotions and then respond in a more calm manner. Ensuring you are breathing deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Note: Shallow breathing will cause your anxiety to spike, in turn making your stress levels worse.
2. No comparing
STOP comparing yourself to other women and other mothers, even your own. You are not them and they are not you, also they don’t have your children, they don’t know your children like you do. You know what your children need, comparing yourself to others is only going to bring more misery and possibly trigger you in ways of self-worth and self-confidence. You are doing your very best and that is Enough!
3. Adult Time Out
You need some time-out, time to just breathe (see strategy #1), to tend to your needs without being pulled in a thousand different directions. Time out for you will be different for time out for me or any other woman, you do you and let others do them. If you could take an “Adult Time Out”, what would that look like for you?
Taking a time out is not neglecting your children or your role as a mum, you are doing it for them not to them. A calm and relaxed mum is way more fruitful for your children than an exhausted, stressed and overwhelmed mum.
4. Emotion Regulation
You are human despite you proving otherwise with your amazing skills at being in a million places at once and being everything to everyone. So yes you have needs and you have emotions that need tending to, emotion regulation is going to help you to feel calm within the chaos that is life as a mum. Along with the first three strategies this is important in keeping you grounded and allowing you to cope with life’s hard knocks.
EFT or Tapping is a great modality to be using to help you self-regulate (you can teach it to your kids too), its easy to learn and very effective at lowering both yours and your children’s stress levels. In my mind a calm mum is a calm child and a calm child is a calm mum. Check out the video below where I take you through a quick process of what EFT or Tapping is and how you can use it in your life.
I hope you enjoy trying out these stress busters for mums, I would love to hear how they work for you, comment below. Any questions about any of these strategies, comment below or contact me here.
I work locally with offices in Burleigh Heads & Robina and also online worldwide. I support soulful women to cope with the ups and downs of life, releasing negative experiences and processing the grief that comes along with integrating change and embracing your new normal. Book your free call here.
