Overwhelmed Mom: 5 Tips for Less Stress!

If you’re an overwhelmed mom, you are definitely not alone!  Moms wear so many hats all day long!  Some days it feels like we are counselors, comforters, nurses, and educators not to mention cooks and maids to the little charges in our care.  If we’re not careful, we can quickly slip into major stress and flip out as an overwhelmed mom!  

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in parenting, it’s that you don’t have to wear all the hats at once!  Choose one at a time or better yet, pass off some of those hats to others!  Here are 5 tips you can do right away to lower your stress level: 

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Overwhelmed Mom Tip #1: Get the Kids Involved in Chores

Know that you do not have to do it all as an overwhelmed mom – you have help. One way that you can teach your kids really important life skills, while also getting more done in less time is by getting the kids involved in chores around the house. Getting kids to help around the house isn’t always easy, I understand. More often than not, such an attempt is met with some form of resistance, but researchers say that there are so many benefits to assigning chores to children, starting at a young age.  Around here, we even get our toddler involved with chores!

You do have to make sure the chores you give out are age appropriate, but it also depends on your specific child. Children who help around the house can potentially be more self-reliant, more responsible, and research shows that giving out age appropriate chores can also help with social, emotional, and even academic benefits, as well. If you are not sure what chores your children could do on their own, do a quick Google search. There are many articles that list out age appropriate chores, but like I said – you know your children best. Having the kids involved with chores not only brings them many benefits, but it also helps you get more done, in less time, and leads to a less overwhelmed mom! Plus, it boosts family morale when the whole family pitches in together!

Overwhelmed Mom Tip #2: Utilize Time Blocking to Make the Most of Each Day

TIme blocking is very helpful, but it’s not just helpful for homeschool moms. Anyone can utilize the benefits of time blocking! Work from home moms, working moms (out of the house), college students, and more. 

If you are not sure what time blocking is, let me explain it quickly. You set aside sections of your day to focus completely on a certain task, group of tasks, or for homeschooling purposes, a subject. Break down your day into groups of activities and do so based on what your day brings. There could be a time to clean the house, a time to prep meals for the day, a time for history, a time for math, a time for reading, and a time for play. 

I’ve learned that if I can block off time for certain tasks, it helps me to be a less overwhelmed mom and in turn aids the kids in being more calm and focused, too.  As always, depending on your children, their ages, and your curriculum (+ what you need to get done around the house, any activities, or errands), you can customize your time blocking to fit your routine, kids, and yourself specifically.

Overwhelmed Mom Tip #3: Hire Out Work That You Don’t Have Time For

Having help does not mean that you are a failure, it means you are admitting that you can not do it all…and you shouldn’t have to! If you are overwhelmed mom trying to do it all, chances are you are doing too much. Please, consider seeking out help! This is an important part of time management skills. 

When you think about it, just about everyone uses help of some sort of help in their daily lives but it may look different for each family.  If you do not have time for yard work (or if you do not want to do yard work), hire that service out. If you need help with the kids, find a great babysitter.  These days, many overwhelmed moms have started using grocery delivery services to take grocery shopping off of the list!   If you are moving, find a great moving team, such as Our Truck Moving, who provides services such as labor moving in Garland TX. 

Find companies that will go above and beyond to really take as much off your plate as possible. I’ll use the same example: Our Truck Moving. They go above and beyond by their commitment to excellence in every aspect of their business. They say, “We uphold a standard of integrity bound by fairness, honesty, and personal responsibility. Our distinction is the quality of service we bring to our customers. Accurate knowledge of our trade combined with ability is what makes us true professionals. Above all, we are watchful of our customer interests and make their concerns the basis of our business.” 

Don’t just get help from anyone or any company. Make sure you are using companies that will actually take the heavy lifting (pun intended) off your plate, such as this TX-based moving company that provides both residential and commercial moving services. They will even pack you up, which is a huge life-saver for overwhelmed moms.

Overwhelmed Mom Tip #4: Make Real Life Moments into Educational Experiences

Authentic learning and real-life learning is a thing, and I truly believe that it’s essential to any great educational program. So much of the time, when kids come out of school, you hear that they never really learned anything practical. I think it’s time that we change this up. In your day to day life, you will be introduced to so many moments that can become educational. 

Even the smallest things, such as baking, gardening, or traveling can become educational opportunities, so know that even if you are not sitting in front of a book all day long, you can teach based on your real life moments and have confidence that your kids are learning valuable life skills.

Overwhelmed mom syndrome leads quickly into the next symptom: Mom guilt.  But it doesn’t have to be this way!  Just remember that your kids are learning valuable skills from all of the day-to-day tasks, too.  Life skills and social skills are just as important as solid scholastic skills.

Overwhelmed Mom Tip #5: Roll with the punches

Last but not least, learn to roll with the punches if you have not already. Being a mom is tough. Throw in homeschooling and if you do not roll with the punches, you have the potential to become a very stressed out, overwhelmed mom…and that’s not good for anyone!   Just focus on one thing at a time – one hat at a time – and leave everything else for later. Believe me, we all have our tough days! In fact, you can read about one of my recent grumpy days and how we were able to turn it around. Learning to focus on what is important and maintain flexibility in the ups and downs of parenting is a really important skill to master!

In all honesty, I would say one of the greatest challenges for most families is an overwhelmed mom who is trying to do too much for her kids!  But the secret I’ve learned is that a less stressed mom equals a more peaceful home.  When you learn how to roll with the punches, you end up serving your entire family.  Just do your best and expect that some days will be harder than others. Learn to give yourself grace, lean on the Lord, and know that you are doing a great job, even when it does not feel that way! 

Roll with it, embrace the crazy, and wear one hat at a time!