4 Stress Management Tips for Busy Moms: Take Some Time for You
Life can get filled with getting the kids school stuff done, dealing with work pressures, running errands, and then all those chores at home. So let’s talk about some stress management tips for busy moms, so you can take some time for you too. stress relief
You Seriously Have to Take Some Time For You
I get it. breathe
I understand how life can be filled with obligations and expectations, and at least some of them (maybe all of them) you just can’t ignore.
Sometimes you don’t have the option to say no. Sometimes it really is something that only you can do. And sometimes its something you really want to do.
But somewhere in there you really need to find some way to squeeze in time to take your stress level down a notch.
Fight and Flight or Rest and Digest
When stress is in charge, you are in what’s called a sympathetic state.
In a healthy situation, you shift to a sympathetic (“fight or flight”) state when you are handling a threatening or difficult situation like when you get a call that your husband just injured his hand and needs to go to the hospital or your daughter passes out in Tae Kwon Do class, you’re trying to avoid being in a car wreck, standing up in front of a crowd to give a presentation, or fighting sleep when you’re caring for a sick child or parent, just to name a few examples from my life.
During those times, your body shifts focus of energy and you typically experience a faster heart rate, faster breathing, more adrenaline and cortisol and more. Less attention is paid to functions like digestion and sexual function.
When the danger is gone, you can shift back into a calmer, parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) state.
In a parasympathetic state, rest and relaxation is primary. Heart rate and breathing are slowed to a comfortable pace. More equalized attention is directed toward healthier digestion, hormone production and more. Here, you are enjoying a yummy meal slowly with fun conversation or a relaxing drive to your favorite garden center or a leisurely walk in your neighborhood with time to notice and enjoy the flowers and the singing birds.
The Impact of Stress
We, of course, need to be able to function well in both sympathetic and parasympathetic states, but more and more we have overbooked schedules, chronic illness, and many other combinations of good and bad challenges in our daily lives that pretty much squeeze out those calmer times, and can wreak havoc on:
- hormones and energy balance
- digestion and nutrient absorption
- sleep health
- mental focus and memory
- cardiovascular health
- mood, communication, and relationships
Chronic stress is so dangerous and interesting, and we are so powerful because we can each make easy adjustments that reduce and restrict stress from negatively impacting our lives.
So what are those 4 stress management tips for busy moms?
Tip 1 – Look for Opportunities to Adjust Your Current Processes
There will probably always be stressors in life. Set yourself up, wherever possible, with stress relieving habits that can help you feel more comfortable and less stressed throughout your day.
You know what you experience every day, so consider how you might incorporate variations of the following ideas to give you short, stress-relieving opportunities each day:
- eat your meals away from your normal work space to incorporate movement but also a fresh and relaxing environment to shift you’re hearing, seeing, and thinking
- turn off notifications and other distracting noise to help you focus on 1 thing at a time
- listen to relaxing music throughout your day (instrumental only suggested to avoid adding something else to pay close attention to)
- keep a mini-notepad, planner note page, sticky note, or note screen accessible to write down important but distracting thoughts to remember and deal with at a more opportune time
- head to your sunny yard, porch, favorite cushy chair, or balcony, or some other quiet space for 5 minutes of quiet with your eyes closed, thoughts stilled, and calm breathing
- block out 5 minutes on your schedule after completing tasks, appointments, projects, and chores to give yourself a calm transition time to put everything away, refresh your water, clear your mind, and allow for a mini-walk or stretch
- choose to think about relaxing experiences and locations, instead of what’s next on the list, when appropriate
- look for opportunities to adjust your current functions to be less cluttered, less tightly scheduled, less sedentary, less noisy, and less distracting
Look at what you are typically doing each day and how. Are there opportunities to shift to more stress relieving environments or processes? Can you make mini-adjustments that can take your tension down a notch?
Tip 2 – Calming Breath
I find it so amazing that 2-3 slow, deep breaths can be so powerfully relaxing.
It’s kind of ridiculous how simple it is.
Just take a moment to be still and get comfortable. Close your eyes, and you can also lay your hand over your heart to be more aware of your breathing too.
Now:
- focus your thoughts on a beautiful place you’ve experienced or on your breath
- breathe in slowly for 4 seconds through your nose
- breathe out through your mouth even more slowly for 8 seconds
- repeat that slow breath 2-3 times more
- return to a normal breath that will now probably be a little slower and relaxed
- open your eyes
This is such a simple way to calm yourself down if you get overwhelmed, when you’re transitioning to your next task, and before and after difficult conversations.
Tip 3 – Designate A Special Spot
Is there a comfortable space at home that can be designated as your place?
Maybe this is your special spot to go to every day to take a breath, slow down your thoughts, and simply take in the beauty around you, the joy of small things that aren’t always noticed, and life itself? timeout
And while you’re there, everybody else knows/learns to just leave you alone for a short time.
What about going outside on your front porch steps? Maybe your special, comfortable space is a comfy chair in your bedroom. It could be your couch is calling you to come stretch your legs a bit next to a window.
Just savor the time and beauty around you as you notice sounds and smells around you? Maybe you hear birds singing, trees rustling, kids playing, the noise of the fan or maybe its the sound of the air vent behind you that you never noticed before. Maybe you’ll keep your eyes open and notice the individual leaves moving on the trees, a bumblebee buzzing from flower to flower, the wispy clouds floating by, the grains in the table wood that seem to remind you of an identifiable shape.
Tip 4 – Transition Time
Transitions happen all day long, and can be a useful moments to check your stress level, calm your thoughts, take a slow breath, and appreciate before starting your next activity. What if you decided to pause for just a moment every time you:
- hang up the phone
- pull into your driveway
- start a load of clothes
- take the dog outside
- prepare to start dinner
- walk in to or out of a meeting
- change clothes
- get your mail
While you pause during these transition times, consider:
- breathing in deeply and slowly and then out the same way
- closing your eyes
- taking a sip of water
These little moments might seem like nothing but can also be great opportunities to pause and appreciate throughout your day.
It’s Time for You
You are the best person to determine what you can do. Don’t worry about meeting any quota or checking off any set number of “stress management” times. That’s not what this is about.
This is just simply about you scheduling in opportunities to take a breath, regroup, relax, refresh, and then continue with your day.
And while I have focused this on stress management tips for busy moms, most (maybe all) of these recommendations can work for busy dads too.
The goal here is to keep this simple and accompanied by relatable examples.
If any of these 4 stress management tips for busy moms sound like they might work for you, or maybe everyone in your household, please let me know. I would love to hear how you apply the tips you choose and cheer you on.
And while you’re focused on stress management, you might also like these posts:
