For those parents who have to deal with all of the other daily stresses, and work outside the home as well, there’s the extra work stress that gets added into the mix - and the fear that they aren't getting any dowtime just to play with their kids.
Jo Bassett is an executive and performace coach and founder of motivational website Living Savvy. Her favourite three tips to help Mums reduce work-related stress are:
1. End the day with a plan for the day to come. “The importance of this was reinforced by a conversation I had with Angela, a mother to seven children, four still living at home,” says Jo. “After twenty-two years as a stay at home mum, Angela returned to work last year in real estate sales. She reached her target of $5 million in sales in her first year of work. Angela’s told me that she never goes to bed without planning and preparing for the next day, having a to do list and setting her mindset for how she wants to wake up and greet the morning.”
2. Small changes combine to make a big difference. Earlier this year tired of walking out the door to do the school drop off frazzled I fine-tuned my routines by making these simple changes:
- Organising the kids lunches the evening before
- Committing to 7 hours a night of quality sleep
- Shutting down the computer at night with things still left to do on my list. I call this strategy “Leaving fuel in the tank”
- Delegating tasks to family members, a simple thing of the children unpacking their owns school bags instead of leaving them in the middle of the kitchen floor or preparing their own tuck shop order means less on my to-do list.
3. Keep your expectations and friends real. Banish the perfect people from your life! I have a fabulous network of women in my life who are very open in telling me what goes down in their home. There is no pretense of perfection in these mothers they give support, encouragement, practical advice and most of all laughs. I have also found that women who keep their expectations real are more able to relax, create down time and enjoy the time they have. Remember you do not have to be Mary Poppins going though your day with a smile and a song for every moment.
There is absolutely no doubt that being a relaxed Mum helps to relax our kids. Less stress makes happier kids, probably a happier partner – and a happier you! So forget about being a Yummy Mummy or a Slummy Mummy or a Super-Mum or a Super-Fit Mum or whatever other “Miracle Mum" titles are currently popular (and, btw, mostly unachievable). Do a favour for your kids and just RELAX!!