No one ever said it was easy to be a mom… but no one ever warned you about the anxiety of it all, either. It comes with the territory you love your kids, and you don’t want anything to happen to them. But worrying about their every move? It’s not good for your mental or physical health. Anxiety can cause breathing problems, headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, and depression, among other side effects.
So, let’s make 2020 the year you ditch your mom anxiety, once and for all. Here are 13 ways to do it:
1. Cut Down on Social Media
Comparing yourself to other moms online? That’s so 2019. So, this year, try and cut down on the amount of time you spend on social media to bust the stress that comes with comparison. Be present with your kids skip Instagram or Facebook until they’re in bed. And, once you’re online, set a timer so that you don’t get carried away with scrolling. If you feel like you’re wasting time, you could start to spike your anxiety, too.
2. Make Mom Friends
Make 2020 your year to build friendships with other moms. They know the struggle, and they can validate the feelings you have that are causing your anxiety. Plus, it’s always good to have other moms that you can text try and hang out sans little ones for even more stress-busting effects.
3. Sleep More
When you’re tired, your body has much less energy to fight stress. Adults need seven to nine hours each night to feel rested and energized by morning. Tack on an extra hour to your current snooze schedule if you often feel fatigued when it’s time to get up in the a.m.
4. Take a Deep Breath
Meditation has so many merits, especially for stressed-out moms. You only need five or ten minutes to focus on your breathing and the environment around you. This quick break will help ground you in the present and push worries out of the forefront of your mind. To make meditation easier, download an app that will guide you through your daily practice.
5. Decompress With Your Partner
After a looong day of parenting, the last thing you want to talk about is, well, parenting. But chatting with your partner about the day you had can help you relieve some of the stress that came with it. These daily talks can help you get ahead of your anxiety by addressing what has bothered you, you can figure out a solution and stop worrying.
6. Try Therapy
Thankfully, we have reached a point where therapy is something we celebrate, rather than hide. Cognitive behavior therapy can assuage a slew of anxieties, from everyday stress to social anxiety and beyond. Your therapist will arm you with the tools you need to overcome your thoughts and change your actions. By repeating what you learn, you rewire your brain and improve your response to tense moments in the future. Voila stressed mom no more.
7. Read Less News
There’s so much going on in the world, and most of the headlines aren’t good. You might read the news and think about your family in a similar situation. It’s advisable to be prepared for a natural disaster, for instance, but thinking about such life-threatening events all of the time won’t help with your anxiety. So, limit your news intake, and try to focus on the headline only. Letting your mind wander and imagining your family in a threatening circumstance won’t help.
8. Hit the Gym
You are a mom we know you’re strong. You can take that strength to the gym and bust through the anxiety that’s been bothering you. Studies have shown that resistance training fights stress, but most forms of exercise will do the trick. Plus, you’ll have a half-hour or more to yourself to clear your head and shore up for the rest of the day with your little ones.
9. Head Outside
Your kids love to play outside, and so should you. Nature has calming effects alternatively, spending all of your time inside can leave you feeling cooped up and stressed. So, go for a quick walk to calm down and refocus. Or, you can grab the kids and head to the local park or playground. While they play, relax and enjoy the beauty of nature around you.
10. Channel Nervous Energy Positively
Moms can’t let anxiety get them down. Instead, they have to push through and continue caring for the little ones around them. So, channel your negative, anxious feeling into a positive force. Rather than laying down and avoiding your to-dos, power through and let all that pent-up energy get you through. You can clean or do laundry, or start studying that new skill you’ve wanted to learn. No matter what, one thing is for sure you’ll feel better knowing you’re done, all thanks to that energy you repurposed for good.
11. Express Your Gratitude
You might overcome your anxiety by focusing on all you have that’s good. When you wake up in the morning, write down three things for which you’re grateful. It could be something as simple as, “The kids slept in today.” That moment of pure bliss could just be enough to power you through the rest of the day. If you start feeling anxious as the hours go by, focus on the list you wrote that morning and come back down to earth.
12. Eat Well
Sometimes, seemingly poor decisions will only feed into your anxiety. Don’t let your diet be one of those factors that affect how you feel. Prep healthy fare for the entire family so that you can feel good mentally and physically. Plus, proper nutrition can energize your body, which we already know can help it to ward off fatigue and stress.
13. Cuddle Up
Do you know what’s sure to put a smile on any parent’s face? A hug. A really good cuddle from your little ones can multiply the warm-and-fuzzies that so effectively fight off stress. So, gather up and watch a movie or read a book together. You’ll all feel better for the closeness and being close to your babies will remind you why it’s worth it in the end, stress and all.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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