Hey Mama. I see you trying to juggle it all and struggling to feel accomplished, relaxed, or even happy. I see you trying to make it all happen for your family and not having enough time in the day to do something for yourself. I also see you becoming stressed out, angry, run down, or even resentful. Does this sound familiar? If so, it’s because Mama, you’re doing too much.
As women and as mothers, its not uncommon to feel like there is a lot of responsibility, endless tasks to get done, and just not enough time in a day to do it all and care for ourselves. Women, specifically mothers, often report feeling they carry the mental load for their family and household, which can be overwhelming. This level of responsibility and constant sense of being “on” can create a long list of problems for us women and mothers. Some of the most common issues with this physical and mental load that women and mothers carry are:
- Feelings of anxiety, difficulty relaxing, and increased stress levels
- Feelings of anger and resentment
- Minimal time to engage in self-care, hobbies, or time alone
- Spending many hours of the day/week carrying for others with minimal to no time to care for self
- Unrealistic expectations of self in regards to time, productivity, or perfectionism
- Losing sense of self
- Increased rate of sickness due to lack of attention to health, diet, exercise, or routine medical care
- Decreased sense of life satisfaction
- Feelings of being in “survival mode”
- Strain on relationships and marriages
If you can relate to any of the above common issues and/or are feeling overwhelmed by the mental, emotional, and physical load of responsibilities you are in charge of, you are not alone. While common, having this large of a stress load is not healthy or helpful.
It can be hard to figure out how to reduce your stress load or minimize responsibilities when things still have to get done. Kids still need to be taken care of. Groceries still need to be purchased. The house needs cleaning. The list goes on and on. I’m here to tell you it is possible, though, to reduce your stress load by reducing the physical, mental, and emotional weight you are carrying. Some helpful strategies you can use to immediately stop doing too much are:
- Start asking for more help with tasks
- Lower unrealistic expectations of self
- Outsource and/or hire help where you can (cleaning service, grocery pick up or delivery, carpooling, etc.)
- Teach your children age-appropriate tasks they can be in charge of (feeding animals, cleaning rooms, making beds, laundry, etc.)
- Allow others to help when they offer
While it doesn’t happen overnight, if you start using the tools mentioned above, I am confident you can reduce the overall stress load you carry and stop feeling so burnt out. If you’re stuck and wondering where to start, how to implement these changes, or need more support managing your stress level, reach out today to learn how I can help.
