How Busy Moms Find a Little me Time
Yes, you are a busy mom. But have you ever stopped and thought about just how many hats you wear on a daily basis? You might be surprised at the number.
Mother of course is your first role, then perhaps wife or partner, perhaps you're working outside the home, you could be a cook, driver, tutor, caregiver for your parents or in-laws.
As if that isn't enough for any one person to handle, oftentimes we also take on certain chores and tasks that may not necessarily fall into our job descriptions as wife, mother and worker. That's where the term "invisible job" comes into play.
We may not be aware of these duties, but when they aren't being done our entire households pay the price. Keep reading to find out more about your invisible job as a mom... and how you can find a little me time for yourself, just because you deserve it!
Stress levels are off the charts. As if raising kids wasn't stressful enough, women also feel pressure from society to work outside the home and accomplish it all.
A recent study by the American Psychological Association shows that moms are, on average, much more stressed than they were in 2007, and have a greater tendency to feel like their daily duties are never-ending. Almost half of all working women (48%) go on stress leave at some point during their careers. And not surprisingly, working mothers are more likely to take stress leave than women without children.
And don't think that it's just mama's at home who feel the burn; the study showed working moms (60%) are far more stressed than their male counterparts (50%), and even more so when both parents work outside of the home. Mothers with professional careers reported that they are more stressed than non-working mothers.
More than 50 percent of working moms say they sacrifice their own health, relationships, free time, and sleep to be able to keep up with the demands of daily life. We realize you might have felt like this before as a mom... but now it's all about taking care of yourself, and the best way to do that is by taking some 'me time'!
You've got this.
How to Make Room for Me Time
Here are a few ways to take care of yourself while you're taking care of everyone else:
Schedule your day in advance so you know what needs to be done and when.
Create a task list that's broken down by minutes, hours or days. It'll help you stay on track and add some much needed items that may have been overlooked from time to time.
Turn off your cell phone or put it away while you're spending quality time with your kids or valuable "me" time getting things done.
Take a break--don't feel guilty about it! When your mind is fresh, you'll be able to respond to the day's demands with a clear head.
Take some quiet time every day.
Whether it's as simple as ten minutes in the morning or thirty minutes at night when everyone's asleep, make sure that you have a little me time each and every day!
When we don't take care of ourselves, we're not doing anyone any favors. When you're exhausted and overworked, it's hard to keep up the same level of commitment on all fronts--and that can lead to resentment.
It's important that you don't neglect yourself or your family in favor of adding more tasks and chores to your list. There's always time for a little 'me' time, so schedule it and stick to the agenda.
The first step might be the hardest to take, but once you have your plan of action in place you'll be on your way to getting back some much needed me time each day. With just a few tweaks here and there you'll soon have a perfect balance of work and play.
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