Jill says its important for us to remember that we can not go back and parent and that parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. We need to be wise for the long haul.
10 Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs
1) Take a day off - Establish a day each week or each month that you can look forward to - for projects, relexation, whatever you want to do. This will refresh you so that you have something to give back to your family.
- Find a friend and give each other a day off. Say every other Tuesday you swap kids for the day. The mom with the day off gets to do whatever she wants - even if that is to go back home and go to sleep!!!
- Arrange a night each week that your husband takes the kids so you can do something alone.
- limit our activities - our own activities and those of our children - this will increase white space
- setting boundaries - one major and one minor activity/committment
- example of major - teaching sunday school - it's a regular responsibility which requires priority and planning
- example of minor - committing to a certain activity say 3 times a year (providing treats in your child's classroom).
- Never say yes on the spot - pray and think over it and get back to the person
- Carefully consider - brain space
- Simply say no when unable to - no long list of excuses
4) Take care of your body - Nutrition, Exercise & Sleep - all of these refuel and destress us.
- Increase fruits, veggies, and water
- Decrease sugar intake
- Leave things for morning
- Take a NAP (loved this one)
- Go to bed early
- "motherhood is the ministry of interruptions" - use words like "of course" when interrupted
7) Choose important over the urgert
- People/family = important; urgent = tasks/things that scream for attention (phone calls, laundry in washer that needs to be put in dryer).
- Do what you NEED to do not what you have to do - ask yourself "will it matter in 10 years?" (the phone call, the laundry, etc).
- respond to a situation, not react
10) Talk to Jesus - follow Jesus's example - he withdrew to a solitary place and prayed - so should we be praying!
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