Post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Are you a stressed out mom? Read on.
My absolute most popular post to date without a doubt is why mothers are really exhausted. So, tired mom, once you’ve read that, you’ll know that it isn’t possible for us to remove all stressors from our lives. In fact, life was made to be lived and I honestly don’t think you could “slow down” enough to remove tiredness and stress completely.
But we’re not talking about good tired today, we’re talking about bad tired. The type that makes you want to pull your hair out, kick the wall, and run screaming away from your own life. The kind of stress that can make you feel black rage in one moment then crumble and ugly cry the next. Let’s be honest, this often happens in the newborn phase.
Since we can’t alleviate all stress and everything that is causing it, here are some basic day to day ways you can pamper yourself and bring some much needed calm and relaxation.
1. Practical tips to help relax
- Take five minutes alone. Put the kids in front of the TV, in their playpens, or cribs with some books and toys and go sit somewhere dark without your phone. Take a timer and just relax.
- Have a stash of your favorite drink on hand so you can pour a cup. When the kids are occupied and quiet focus on drinking and how good it tastes and try not to think about your to do list.
- Institute independent play time for your children each day.
- Get up earlier than the kids, even for 20 minutes, and read your Bible, pray, or do something else relaxing not involving technology.
- Read a nice book on your favorite piece of furniture in the house. Or if you don’t have a favorite piece, create a cozy nook somewhere just for this purpose.
- Get a babysitter (or your husband who isn’t a babysitter) and go out! This is the ticket if you are an extrovert.
- Go outside for some fresh air and sunshine.
- Eat a guilty pleasure / comfort meal. Mine is bacon cheeseburger and french fries with a Diet Coke! I’m classy, I know.
- Get some hobbies. Here’s some hobbies for stay at home moms or hobbies for non-crafters.
2 Natural remedies to help you relax
A warm bath. Detox baths will do more than just help you relax. Turn off the lights, light some candles (and if you’re like me put on the Netflix ;)…) and put 1 cup Epsom salts and 5 drops of your favorite oil in the bath. I use Lavender.
Face mask. Make your own face mask (if you don’t have one on hand) by whisking an egg white until foamy then adding 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch and two drops of your favorite essential oil. Tea tree oil is good if your skin is broken out!
Scented eye mask. Get an eye mask or eye pillow that you can scent with essential oils and use during rest times or before bed.
Calming tea. Make a cup of chamomile tea (which is a mild sedative) and add Ylang Ylang, Lavender, or Chamomile essential oils or Valerian which is a mood stabilizer.
Diffuse. Essential oils are absorbed through the bloodstream so diffusing a calming essential oil or oil blend will help lower your stress levels from the inside out.
3. Tips to relieve emotional stress:
- It might seem impossible but a key to helping feel better mentally is finding time for yourself in the everyday
- Here’s how to wind down and recharge after a busy day
- Honestly express your emotions and you’ll be amazed how much better you’ll feel
- Call a friend who’ll let you vent your frustration, but who will then encourage you
- Think about relational issues that are weighing you down and whether you need to forgive someone or ask forgiveness
- Determine whether there’s a situation in your life that needs confronting, whether with a co-worker, friend or family member, and try not to brush it under the rug. That’ll just increase your stress!
4. Kids aren’t sleeping well?
- The newborn stage can be exhausting so here’s some tips to help your newborn sleep well
- If you’re up with the kids all throughout the night you may have a case of the sleep props, so read sleep props and how to get rid of them
- If you’re up before down, you may need to learn how to encourage sleeping-in and longer naps
- If you have a few kids who still nap, try to put them all down for a nap at the same time, this will give you much needed time to rest.
Hopefully some of these options resonated with you. But know, dear tired mom, that you are not alone! We’re in a tiring season and if we play our cards right, in a few years we might get to sleep in and have our dear darlings bring us breakfast in bed ;)
Why are you a tired mom? Here’s the real reason…
If you are stressed, overwhelmed, or drained… you aren’t alone.
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Rachel
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Katie says
This is a great post! Recently I’ve been waking up an hour earlier than my daughter… I find that it gives me a more structured day to wake up at the same time every morning AND it also helps me to be in a better mood since she is not abruptly waking me up! Plus I get the ‘me time’ that I can’t really find the time to do in the evening. Thank you for sharing!
Rachel Norman says
so true, exactly! It is very jarring to be woken up by a cry or yell as opposed to getting up on your own. Totally agree!
Jennie Bean says
Thanks for this post! I have been so tired lately and love your ideas. So far, I have been trying to wake up earlier than my son and get some things done so I don’t get discouraged later about not having time for them. Also, I had a headache the other day and taking a bath relieved a lot of my stress. I love that you included a recipe for a homemade face mask. That will be my next venture!
Rachel Norman says
Yes, sometimes when I can’t actually change my stress triggers, doing something relaxing like a bath, mask, and reading a book really helps! Thanks for stopping by :)