Maintaining Your Mental Health as a Busy Mom*
Let’s not beat around the bush. Being a mom is no joke. Your diet consists of quick meals and scraps leftover from the kids’ plates. Your sleep pattern is all over the place. You’ve barely go enough energy to get you through the day. And your personal and social life gets buried underneath all you’ve got going on. You love your children dearly, but raising them comes with a lot of emotional overwhelm.
Society would have you to believe that women are these super beings that can raise children, work a full-time job, maintain a marriage, and live life without breaking a sweat. To be quite honest, however, it’s quite the opposite. The role and responsibilities of a mother can be downright exhausting at times. It can weigh so heavily on you that if you’re not careful can wreak havoc on your physical and emotional wellbeing.
The Facts About Moms and Mental Health
The sad but true reality is that many mothers struggle emotionally. Statistics show that 1 in every 10 children have experienced a depressed mother at some point in their lifetime. 1 out of every nine women suffers from postpartum depression. Most working mothers suffer from chronic stress and anxiety trying to master the work-life balance. Stay at home mothers, on the other hand, suffer from mental illness and struggle to provide consistently for their families.
What’s unfortunate about all of these statistics, is that most of these women suffer in silence. Believing somehow that they’re supposed to press on and keep it moving, they don’t reach out for help. They don’t look to medications, therapy, or TMS Los Angeles treatment options for depression. They don’t talk to their spouses, relatives, or friends for fear of judgment. Instead, they pull the strength from somewhere to keep going.
Consequences of Not Taking Care of Your Mental Health
What happens when a mother doesn’t take the time and attention necessary to improve and sustain her mental health? Essentially she and her family suffer. Untreated chronic stress, anxiety, or depression can cause long-term effects on your overall health and your personal life.
You stop eating regularly, you have difficulty sleeping, you isolate yourself from people and things you once enjoyed, you start to feel resentful of your children or spouse, you become quick to anger, you lose concentration and focus at work, you stop caring about your hygiene and physical health, you become dependent on substances, and the list goes on.
Quick Tips to Improve Your Mental Health
Since the chances are likely that you don’t want to end up harming yourself or your family, it is best to learn how to take care of your mental health despite your responsibilities as a mother. Below are a few quick tips to incorporate into your lifestyle:
Create a Village
When they said it takes a village to raise a child, they weren’t kidding. You aren’t capable of doing and being everything for your children all the time and still, be able to be there for yourself. You have to let others in to help. So, create your own village. It’s usually comprised of your spouse, parents, school teachers, community leaders, and friends. Allow them to pitch in to take the load of raising your children off your shoulders.
The First Ten Minutes Are Yours
Scheduling me time is often difficult for busy moms. So, until you start freeing up your schedule to get away for a few hours or days at a time, start with the first ten minutes of your day. When you get up in the morning, before you wake the children or start breakfast, take care of you. Meditate, practice yoga, read a chapter in a book, brew yourself a cup of coffee, go for a walk, make yourself a nutritional smoothie, or take a nice hot shower.
Learn How to Cope
There is nothing wrong with realizing that there are going to be some days where you’re stressed to the max. When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, you need to calm down and de-stress. Maybe all you need is to take a few minutes and breathe in and out. Perhaps when you’re feeling stressed you would like to go get a manicure, pedicure, and massage. After a hectic day, you might like to sit in a warm bath with essential oils and bath salts while you listen to some light music.
It is nothing short of an honor to be a mother to your precious children, but being responsible for the lives of others without neglecting your own is a challenge women struggle with daily. There is nothing wrong with feeling overwhelmed or stressed out on occasion. As long as you address it, cope with it, and take care of yourself you can pull through and be the best mom possible for your children.
