Are you a working mother who is stressed out about getting everything done? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Since some 70% of mothers today are working or looking for work, it’s a safe bet that most of them are at least a little frazzled. Many mothers are also juggling work, meaning they may have multiple jobs in addition to their home commitments and childcare.
Balancing motherhood and work isn’t easy, even on the good days. But with a little bit of care and attention, there are better ways of juggling everything.
If you want to know more about how to balance work and family life, read on for some tips.
Don't Let Guilt Overcome You
If you find yourself feeling guilty frequently, we’ve got some good news: guilt working mother syndrome is a real thing that many mothers face! If you feel bad, it means that you care deeply and want the best for the family.
Okay, so some amount of guilt is perfectly normal, and even positive, in a sense. But how do working moms do it and deal with the guilt? Here are a few ideas:
- Stop trying so hard. When it comes to parenting, no one knows what they’re doing. Your kids will get scraped knees, your house will be a mess, and you may be late to work now, and then…these are all normal. And they’re small. You can’t control everything, so don’t try to.
- Don’t compare. You may wonder how other moms manage to keep it all together. Well, they probably don’t. In addition, everyone has different personalities, and some can cope with various facets of working motherhood differently. Also, you should not compare yourself to your husband as working mothers are the parents who feel the most guilt.
- Learn to laugh at yourself. So, you’re feeling a little bit guilty, who cares? If you can learn to let this kind of thing go, and even make it funny sometimes, you’re going to have a better time of it all, and so is your family. This doesn’t mean putting yourself down, it just means don’t sweat the small stuff.
- Find a tribe. If you need more support for childcare or chores, hop online and find a group in your area or form a community of moms to share childcare. The more people you have in your network, the easier work and play will be.
Slow it Way Down
Everyone needs a day “off” now and then, and it’s how we use this time that can make or break the following weeks or even years. Try to get into the habit of “booking” self-care time for yourself, at least a few hours a week. Then use some of this time to check in with yourself and re-assess where you may need to lay down further boundaries or where you need to delegate tasks.
Assess Your Time
As you go through your day, be sure to ask yourself “is this really necessary”? You may find that a lot of the things you think you need to do are time wasters. For instance, do you need to do laundry twice a week, or could you just do it all at once on Sundays? Do you need to make that extra trip to the drugstore when you could ask a friend or your partner? Is stopping at the coffee shop actually faster than making coffee at home or at work?
Whether they want to or not, more and more parents are finding themselves needing to work longer hours in order to sustain a family in today’s economy, and this can put a serious strain on family relationships.
With these coping tips and insights, you can have it all. A successful career and happy, healthy family are achievable goals for any mother.
To read more on how to balance career and home, visit our blog today.
