It’s a given, as mothers, we feel a considerable amount of stress, a lot of the time. Of course, a lot of us feel that it’s a badge of honor; we have to wade through these difficult times and feel like we’ve been through the wars in order to get the best for our children, and ourselves. Of course, it’s an age-old expression that difficult circumstances in life are “character building”, but there’s got to be a limit. If you are at the point where you are struggling with keeping up with school runs, baby feeds, as well as house duties, and if you’ve got a job on top of this, it’s hardly a surprise that you neglect yourself. So, what are the best ways for every single one of us to decompress from the stress in life?
Time Away
Simple, isn’t it? A bit of time away does everybody some good, but we don’t think we have the opportunities to do it. Even on the top 10 Christmas gift ideas for moms, time away is listed. So even at this supposedly family-focused time, you should still have some quality time to yourself. We feel that there are no opportunities for us to get that quality alone time, but this is when you have to be a bit cleverer in how you do it. For example, if you got a job that finishes at 3.00 pm, and you go straight to do the school run, it leaves you little time to yourself. In which case, can you finish work at 2.30 pm instead? That gives you a little bit more time to yourself, so you can take advantage of those all-important quiet moments. We all know that we need that little bit of time away to truly enjoy the silence, but we seldom have it, because we’re so busy. In which case, make time, either by getting out early or just heading to the bottom of your garden. Time away from a situation gives you so much in the way of appreciating what the situation is and recalibrating your frame of mind.
Undertake A Hobby Just For You
There are so many worthwhile activities in the world that, if we had the time to do them, we would feel so much better about ourselves. Because we are being pulled in so many different directions in life, that opportunity to do something that is for us, and us alone, is fleeting. You might say to yourself that you haven’t got time for hobbies, and, on the surface of it, that’s true. In which case, it’s better for you to make some time to do something you really love. You might consider it, on the surface, to be a waste of time, because it’s not getting stuff, but the importance of a hobby that you enjoy is all about making yourself feel better. It doesn’t have to have a point. It can just be something that you want to do, that you don’t normally get the chance to. If you feel that you have so little time in which to do anything, even getting up before everyone else to make some coffee, and sit down with your book, or whatever it is you want to do, will give you that opportunity to relax internally before the stresses of the day catch up with you.
Is It Time To Get Spiritual?
You might not feel that something my meditation benefits you, because you can’t switch your brain off. However, meditation is one of those things that becomes a habit if you stick at it. When you get to the bottom of it, meditation is a practice that takes 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 minutes in the evening, for a lifetime of emotional contentment. We are so busy in life, that 10 minutes is a big ask. So, if you really don’t have 10 minutes to sit quietly, and listen to your breathing, it’s time to undertake some practices that mimic the effects of meditation, but without all the quiet. Deep breathing is one of those things that, believe it or not, we are not doing properly. Once you feel the effects of breathing deeply, you will feel more relaxed and less susceptible to stress. There are so many different variants of deep breathing techniques, from yoga practices like pranayama, to box breathing. And arguably, box breathing is one of the quickest ways to calm your nervous system. And after all, it’s something that Navy Seals do, and they wouldn’t waste their time on pointless exercises.
Get Out Of The Negative Cycle
If you are saying to yourself that you don’t have time to do anything for you, and everything becomes tainted with this negative mindset, after a while, this is all you know. This cloud is over every aspect of your life, and before you know it, you become the victim. Instead, retraining your brain to get out of this negative cycle is one of the most beneficial things any single one of us in life can do. Call it a positive mindset, call it the glass half full mentality, but whatever you label it as it’s a drastic way to alter your perception of how you’ll see things in life. It’s so easy to become negative, and once you’ve slipped into that frame of mind, anxiety, and depression are never far behind. Getting this mindset is all about reframing of perspective, which should be done with visualization, cognitive behavioral therapy, and positive self-talk. There are numerous resources on YouTube, and watching any single one of these videos is worth your time.
Stress is one of the biggest killers in life, and if we let it consume us, it’s not just us that won’t be able to function, our children won’t have a proper parent. And it’s this that needs to be at the forefront of your mind. You might put your children before you, but if you don’t have the tools to look after them, what is going to happen? You need to make sure you are fighting fit, so your children can be too.
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