Coping with Stress [From the Mouths of Moms]

Can’t find time to read all of those parenting books and magazines?  Don’t have a lot of mommy friends to bounce ideas off of?  Kids go crazy every time you get on the phone to ask a friend their advice?  No problem; I’ll do the work for you!


Every Thursday I bring you kid-tested parenting tips for a specific parenting challenge “from the mouths of moms.”  There was lots of discussion about how hard motherhood can be in the newborn tips post a couple of weeks ago.  So this week I decided to ask our moms how they take care of themselves and cope with stress…

 

Coping with Stress

1. Know Your Mommy Limits
“I have always felt that I have a strange internal clock that knows when I have spent over 12 hours with my kids..that's my limit. Too many days over my 12 hour limit and I feel a little bonkers. I know that I need other people around me, I need a break. Sometimes I simply head to the coffee shop and read a magazine. Whatever it takes to give my mind a rest. A rested mama is a good mama.” Jennifer from Kitchen Counter Chronicles

2. Take a Mommy Time Out
“My number one tip is: time off... even if it i just an hour to go to a coffee shop and read. You recharge your batteries that way and have much more patience with your kids!” Maggie from Red Ted Art

3. Have a Date Night
“Taking time for yourself for a little Moms Night Out with friends or a Date night with Hubby can refresh you and make you feel like YOU again.” Kim from The Educators’ Spin On It

4. Count on Friends
“I am so grateful for friends who are there to listen, send over their teenage daughters to play with my kids, bring me dinner when the going gets rough, and give me wake-up calls when I'm not thinking straight.” MaryAnne from Mama Smiles

5. Confide in Someone Who Understands
“Having that one friend you can turn to who has a great listening ear can mean so much. It feels good to know at times that you're not the only one who feels that way or who's child does the same thing.” Kim from The Educators’ Spin On It

6. Exercise (with the Kids!)
“I exercise at least 3 times a week. Most of the time, I bring my children with me. When my daughter was 6 weeks old, I joined Stroller Strides. When our local franchise went out of business, one of the instructors started an outdoor boot camp. We can still bring our kids and they play at the park while we exercise. I don't know how I would have made it through the past 5 years without my exercise routine and the friends I have made through it!” Danielle from 52 Brand New

7. Try Some Simple Meditation
“I set my iPhone timer to meditate once a day for at least 5-20 minutes. I love these free basic meditation downloads from iTunes. While I try to keep up with yoga, dinner dates with friends, and exercise ‘breathing’ is something I can quite literally do anywhere.” Zina from Let’s Lasso the Moon

8. Wake Up Before Everyone Else
“I wake up early and work out and enjoy quiet time. I need that time to prepare for the day. Once my four boys are awake it is full steam ahead, and I need to be on my A game.” Allison from Train Up A Child

9. Blog for Therapy
“I find blogging very therapeutic. I use it to focus on the things I love about being a mother, and as a creative outlet. AND I've made some great bloggy friends, adding to my support network!” MaryAnne from Mama Smiles

10. Use Technology as a Babysitter (We Won’t Tell…)
“I make time to exercise around 4-5 times per week. Either I do a 25-30 minute DVD or go for a short run when my husband gets home. Zel is happy to watch a video or play on the ipad while I exercise. I always feel better (physically and emotionally) on days that I workout.” Amy from Z is for Zel

11. Eat Healthier
“I've focused on healthy eating habits since my second son was born - not only for me, but for the whole family. A big part of this was cutting out sugary drinks, empty calorie food items and processed food as much as possible. At first you think it will be hard and take too much time, but I learned to plan well and make it work. It helps me feel good about myself, which in turn results in sound mental, physical, and emotional health.” Jennifer from The Good Long Road

12. Know When to Say “NO”
“I don't say yes to everything requested of me. I like to help and serve others, but I can't physically be everything to my family and everyone else at all times. I know if I stretch myself thin I won't have the patience and energy needed for caring for young children.” Allison from Train Up A Child

13. Take a Few Minutes for YOU
“I make it a priority to take a few minutes here and there to do the things I love. My husband is really good about taking my son for a few minutes so that I can spend some time alone focusing on myself.” Amanda from Dirt and Boogers (Check out more from Amanda on Mommy Self Care!)

14. Get Lost in Everyday Activities
“I blog and pull weeds. Cleaning weeds out of my yard always helps me feel productive.” Deirdre from JDaniel4’s Mom

15. Get Enough Sleep
“Sleep is my number one priority. When I don't prioritize sleep, it's not just me that's affected, but the whole household. To ward off my excessive crankiness, burnout, and general uselessness, I have to do things like turning down friends' evening invitations, canceling existing appointments, and forcing myself to turn off the TV or put down a book even though I'm really into it, in favor of sleep.” Chrissy from The Outlaw Mom

16. Know Your Priorities
“I don't try to do it all. We've hired a cleaner, because of all the things I find important in life, cleaning isn't really one of them. I don't enjoy it, so with my limited free time its not something I'm prepared to invest time in.” The Monko from Taming the Goblin

17. Treat Yourself (with Chocolate!)
“Sneak a bit of chocolate every once in a while...haha!” Amanda from Dirt and Boogers

18. Sleep In On The Weekends
“Hublet can't lie in, so I take advantage of his early rising at the weekend and I lie in. He looks after Goblin for about 3 hours from 6am till 9am and I sleep (with the door shut so I don't get tempted to go down and join in).” The Monko from Taming the Goblin

19. Consider Prayer
“Working out really helps me refocus and helps me take care of me. Also, nights out with other moms and daily prayer.” Adrienne from The Iowa Farmer’s Wife

20. Don’t Rule Out Professional Help
“I’m not ashamed to admit that I have become a much better mother since learning about and taking advantage of my options for counseling and even anxiety and depression medication.” Krissy from B-Inspired Mama


 

Do you have any clever parenting tips or fun kids’ activities?  I’d love to share them with my readers by having you guest post.  Just contact me for more information!  

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