4 Ways to Reduce Stress

Being a working mom undoubtably adds a layer of complexity to a moms already busy schedule.

To top it off, moms are often the go- to caretakers for kids when school is out, daycare is closed, or when kids get sick. All of which adds to our day to day responsibilities. No shade towards dads, but career moms have a hard job and it can be stressful.

The reality is, stress is a common part of life no matter who we are or what we do. No one is exempt from life’s hardships and/or challenges. Our response to, or ability to deal with, challenges determines the level of stress situation cause.

Here are 4 quick strategies to help you on your journey to reducing stress:

Tip #1 Get organized and plan

Trust me I’ve had my fair share of days on the struggle bus with my kids trying to get them to where they need while juggling work and other activities. What I’ve learned is that organization and planning reduce daily stress, #plannermom.

On Sunday’s, I sit down with my planner and create my weekly spread, to do list, cleaning schedule, and account for my activities. I pull from my work calendar, family calendar, kid’s activities, and my activities in order to account for everything in ONE planner. I have a FULL 360 view of all the activities that will impact my day(s).

Trust me this helps!

Tip #2 Be intentional with your intentions

Be intentional with the activities, responsibilities and commitments you take on. Ensure commitments align with your goals, family goals, and objectives for the current season. Sometimes, you have to pivot and adjust.

There’s nothing worse than over committing and/or getting burnt out in the long run.

Look for opportunities to streamline your daily routines. Take a week or two and evaluate your processes for cooking, cleaning etc. and look for opportunities to streamline and reduce the stress related to those activities.

For example:

Put your cleaning on a schedule… and stick to it
Leverage grocery deliveries, Amazon Prime, etc to save time on store runs
Meal prep and meal plan
Streamline bedtime routines
Don’t be afraid to scale back on your kids’ commitments

Tip #3 Leverage Your Support System

Don’t try to be SuperMOM. Ask for help and leverage your supporters. If you, like me, don’t have family that lives nearby, look for community programs, after school’s, camps, etc. to help.

Find your tribe at work! Connect with other career moms and/or like-minded entrepreneurs in your area. In the workplace, develop relationships with at least one other person who can run cover for you if you need to attend to a family matters. Make sure this person is reliable and trustworthy (ie. They won’t throw you under the bus the moment you hit the door).

Side Note: When and if you can, make sure that you are the “in tribe” for another mom.

Tip #4 Address Mental Health Concerns with a Professional

Talking to a certified professional provides tailored support based on your specific needs.

Some employers offer counseling benefits either as separate services or through medical plans. Don’t shy away from leveraging these benefits.

I hope you found this helpful.

Share some other tips for Moms in the comment section below.