5 Ways to Prevent Mom Burnout

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It happens to the best of us! Here’s how to stop mom burnout before it can start.

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“Mom burnout,” to me, is a place where I go in my mind whenever I’ve just had too much. I’ve let stress take over me. I’ve given too much of myself and need to step away in order to refresh and feel like myself again. Motherhood is beautiful, but there are pockets of time within the beauty that are really, really hard and so much of the daily life pressures fall on mom. For instance, Branden recently broke his arm and while we were waiting, as a family, in the orthopedic wing at Children’s Hospital, every single nurse, doctor, receptionist – everyone – turned to me to ask me all the questions. This happened even though my husband was sitting right next to me. And before we even got there, we were running late picking Branden up from school for his appointment and he called and texted me over and over again (my phone was on silent in my purse), even though Chris was with us. This made Chris even comment aloud on how much pressure is put on moms.

How I Work Hard to Prevent Mom Burnout

So yes, mom burnout can happen to the best of us. We’re always being pulled in a million directions, always. This constant pulling can put us in a state of panic, overwhelm, anxiety – we all handle it differently. Now, I’m not perfect, and to be completely honest, I experience mom burnout more than I would like to admit, but this is because we’re going through a stressful season in our life right now and moving. Here’s how I try to prevent mom burnout every single day.

1. Make sure your health comes first.

As much as I stress taking a break from the kids, sometimes that can mean just strapping your toddler tantrum prone two-year-old in the jogging stroller, turning up some tunes and just moving. This kills two birds with one stone if you ask me. And as a bonus, workouts always end up giving me enough energy to actually get through the day while dealing with a high maintenance toddler. Our health is our everything and you will undoubtedly crash everyday if you aren’t taking care of yourself. This goes for what you’re putting inside your body, too. For me, it’s Health Warrior Chia Seed Bars all the way and I’m SO excited to share their newly flavor, just released today: Strawberry Shortcake! You guys….I always have Health Warrior bars and mug muffins handy, but this flavor is the winner in our home. You seriously must order a box!

2. Early bedtimes – sometimes for everyone.

This one is more challenging and takes longer to become an everyday habit than everything else on this list, but I found some solitude in my life once we finally got Blake going to bed at 7:30 pm every night (7pm if she refused a nap that day). Branden goes to bed at 9pm on school nights and 10pm on weekends, but he pretty much does his own thing in the evening since homework and shower is done immediately following dinner. Because of Blake’s early bedtime, this gives me time to do one of so many things because I have time. Sometimes I catch up on work, sometimes I watch tv with Chris, sometimes I read – it’s time for me to unwind. And if I’m feeling extra exhausted, I go to bed. It gives you some much needed flexibility within your day.

3. Ask for help.

I struggle with this one the most of them all. I have this “I can do it all by myself” attitude and feel like supermom whenever that does happen, but it doesn’t always happen. There will be moments whenever you need someone to take some of the weight off of your shoulders and you need to speak up and do it. If not, mom burnout will rear its ugly head and you will be kicking yourself.

4. Daily routines are key.

Having a routine that you follow with the kids helps to manage expectations of the day. This helps me to block out time for work, and hours whenever I can be more flexible and take the kids out to lunch and a movie. I also make sure to schedule in some down time so that I can look forward to that. Lately, its been right after Blake’s nap when she’s still a little groggy and I’m exhausted from writing. We cuddle on the couch and watch a show, and it’s the best!

5. Let the kiddos entertain themselves.

Point blank: I am and have always been a let the kids entertain themselves kinda mom. I love taking them places, pushing them on the swing at the park, exploring dinosaurs at the museum, but when we’re home, they need to figure things out for themselves. This gives them some independence and me some time to get stuff done.

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Since you are here, reading this post, I know that you are feeling it, too. I don’t talk about the rough moments because I don’t like being a mom, but to express the reality of it all. Raising babies is magical, but it also goes hand in hand with some really tough things that can make us feel like we are spinning (and could possibly use a glass of wine, huh?).With every word that I type, I hope that I’m resonating with you. I hope that you read through this piece and walked away going “yes, yes, yes.” But most of all, I hope that my tips help you to thrive as a busy mom.

XOXO,

Allison