Stress is a part of everyday life. However, we do not want it to consume us. Sometimes in motherhood, we feel like we are drowning in all the responsibilities placed on our shoulders! I call this mom stress. How do we go about reducing mom stress in our lives? If we stay in a state of constant stress, it can lead to adverse health affects. We want to be healthy, functioning mothers who know how to take control of our stress. If you are reading this article, you are serious about reducing the amount of stress in your life. In this article, we will discuss practical ways you can reduce mom stress so you can feel and live in a healthier way.
How To Reduce Mom Stress
There are several practical ways we can reduce mom stress in our lives. We can eliminate stressors, exercise, make sure we get quality sleep, and more! All of these we will discuss below.
Putting even just a couple of these into practice can lower the amount of stress we feel. As you read, pick one or two items that you would like to try this week to reduce your mom stress, like eliminating stressors and exercising. Stick to it every day for a week or two before adding another factor, like getting quality sleep, that can reduce your stress.
1. Reducing Mom Stress By Eliminating Stressors
What are stressors? Stressors are the things or events that make you feel stress. Below are some examples of stressors.
- Dirty laundry needing to be washed
- Meal planning
- A phone call
- Anticipating talking to a particular person
- Meeting a deadline
Reducing your mom stress happens when you reduce the stressors in your life. Could you relate to any of the above items? Maybe you know some other stressors in your life.
Now if you can totally eliminate the stressor, then do it! This can look like asking your spouse to cook dinner or avoiding an unhealthy person in your life.
If you can’t eliminate the stressor, then do what you can to lower it. This may look like writing out a to-do list to help you meet your deadline. Perhaps role playing how a difficult phone call may go will help lower your mom stress.
Now grab a piece of paper and write down five to ten stressors in your life. Then below each one, write out how you plan to either eliminate that stressor or reduce it.
2. Reducing Mom Stress Through Exercise
Just 30 minutes of exercise a day can lower stress, improve cognitive function, decrease risk of cardiovascular disease and so much more!
Studies have shown that just 30 minutes of exercise a day can lower stress, improve cognitive function, decrease risk of cardiovascular disease and so much more!
When you exercise, your muscles are able to release built up tension and toxins. Your blood starts flowing, which carries the tension and toxins to other parts of your body that clean them out of the blood (i.e. the liver and kidneys).
Below are wonderful at-home exercise programs designed for mothers. I love these because they were created with moms in mind, can easily be done at home, and don’t take up a lot of time.
If you have diastasis recti, check out these safe exercises for you! Or click below to learn more!
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3. Reducing Mom Stress By Getting Good Sleep
Many report that their stress increases when the length and quality of their sleep decreases.
American Psychological Association
Did you know that sleep is a necessary part of human health? Moreover, did you know that you can feel more stressed when you don’t get good sleep? This is according to the American Psychological Association.
We tend to not value good sleep. What happens when we don’t value something? If we don’t value something, we don’t put in the energy and boundaries needed to keep it. So, if we don’t value getting good sleep, we won’t go to bed on time, set our phones off, or put other health factors in place to aid us in getting good sleep. Below are some consequences of not getting enough sleep.
Consequences of not getting enough sleep
- Increased stress
- Feeling irritable
- Less motivation to take care of responsibilities
- Decreased cognitive function
- Poor judgment and memory
- Increased risk while driving
- Lowers immune system
- Increased risk of obesity
You may read that list and think, “Wow! That describes me – stressed, irritable, not motivated to care for responsibilities, trouble remembering, etc.” Are you ready to learn how you can get quality sleep? Keep reading to learn how!
How To Get Quality Sleep
1. Exercise
We talked about this earlier. When you exercise, your body is able to release built up stress in the body. Releasing that stress will help you relax and sleep better at night! Again, there are wonderful exercise programs available for mothers! Pick one of the ones previously listed in this article and get moving for better sleep!
2. Set A Good Bedtime Routine
Our bodies function under good routine. It is recommended to get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep per night for good health. If you know you need to be up at 7am, set an alarm to remind yourself to go to bed at a decent time.
Other good practices for setting a good bedtime routine is turning off all electronics one hour before you go to bed. This allows your brain to settle down from all that light stimulation. A calm mind will help you fall asleep better.
Another great bedtime routine to do is setting things out for the next day to help the morning go smoother. This can be setting out clothes, setting up the coffee maker so all you have to do is hit “on”, or doing all the dishes the night before.
Finally, one tip I love doing is having a note book and pen by my bed. Anytime something comes in my mind that makes me stressed, I write it down. Knowing that that subject is on paper give my brain the freedom to let it go and relax. Try it! You may find it helpful.
3. Avoid Sugar And Caffeine Before Bed
Coffee or a bowl of ice cream in the evening sounds like a great way to reward yourself after a hard day’s work. However, it may be interfering with your quality of sleep! All that caffeine and sugar stimulates your body instead of relaxes.
How else can you reward yourself in the evening for a hard day’s work? Do you enjoy hot teas, reading a favorite book, or watching a movie with pop corn are all great substitutes for caffeine and sugar in the evenings.
4. Eat Healthy Foods
Avoiding junk foods throughout the day will help you sleep better at night. Fries, chips and other processed foods taste good and may be easy snacks for busy moms like us. However, they are terrible for our bodies and don’t help us reduce mom stress or get better sleep.
Instead try eating nuts, fruit and a variety of vegetables throughout the day. Multi-grains and lean meats are also wonderful for our bodies and higher in nutrients. See how changing a few of your poor food choices for healthier ones help you sleep better at night.
5. Sleep Alone
This is a personal opinion of mine. However, I have never once heard of a parent who gets great sleep with their child in bed with them. If you co-sleep and believe it is the best situation for your family, great. All the more power to you!
If you would like your bed back (and sleep back!) I would suggest teaching your child/children to sleep in their own beds. This can be quite a challenge if co-sleeping has been the norm for quite some time. Reach out to other moms, online resources, and even your pediatrician to learn what they suggest as far as teaching your children to sleep in their own bed.
I believe once everyone learns to sleep happily in their own bed, your quality of sleep will increase and the amount of stress you experience throughout the day will decrease!
4. Reducing Mom Stress Through Our Thoughts
Our minds are very powerful. Just thinking of a stressful scenario can increase blood pressure, raise your heart rate, and change your mood. As mothers, we are always worried about our children. To some degree this is normal, and shows that you are a loving mother who cares for and loves her children.
However, we need to be careful that our thoughts stay positive. We want to avoid intrusive and negative thoughts. Thinking on these types of thoughts can raise our stress level and decrease our joy! Let’s not let that happen.
Check out these 30 affirmations for moms I created to help you think on positive things. Take one each day and practice replacing one negative thought with that positive affirmation. You will be surprised by how it changes your mood and decreases your mom stress!
5. Having A Good Support Group Lowers Your Stress
Did you know that if you are surrounded by supportive, loving people in your life, you will experience less stress? Who are those people in your life that you can count on? Find two to five women you know you can call for assistance, a day out, or a need to talk who will be there for you.
If you want to learn more about building your support group in your motherhood journey, check out my article on the subject!
Leave A Comment!
What from this article are you going to apply to your life? Leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us! We would love to hear from you!
Want To Learn More
If you enjoyed this article, check out the other articles below. Each one will help you achieve and maintain good emotional health in motherhood.
Then, share what you’ve found by clicking the share button at the top of the page!
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Benefits That Motivate You To Exercise!
6 Tips To Exercise When You Have No Time To Exercise
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Building Resiliency In Motherhood
Getting Professional Help