Mom Life

Dear Exhausted Mom: Four Tips for Survival

Well, Mother’s Day is over for the year. The kids are soon off of school for the summer. And you’re already exhausted. I get it. And I see you. I’ve been parenting for 16 years now. That’s such a long time! But whether you’ve been at this Mom game for 5 weeks or 5 decades, I bet you’re feeling like an exhausted Mom. I’m here to tell you that you are not alone. And you’re not crazy! And after all this time parenting five kids, I have some tips to share for the exhausted mom.

1. An Exhausted Mom Needs Help

Many Moms feel like they are super Mom. Or maybe they just feel like they should be super Mom. But you really don’t need to be! You are super Mom even if you need some support. I learned a long time ago that there were some things that I needed help with. And that’s ok! Here are some ways that you could enlist help that might be helpful to you:

  • House cleaning- If it’s in your budget, it can make such a huge difference in your stress level. Whether you can hire someone once a week or once a month, it can be a huge relief.
  • Tutoring- If you have a child struggling with a certain subject, this could be just the key!
  • Lawn care- Could a local teenager mow your lawn? This might be a huge help to you and him or her!
  • Hybrid homeschooling– If you are a homeschooler, looking into a program where your children go to school twice a week could change your life. We love this system!
  • Babysitter- If you have little ones, an extra set of hands can give you some room to breath. Consider trading babysitter with another family in order to save costs!

I know a lot of things require some extra money in the budget. But an exhausted Mom doesn’t help anyone! How can you prioritize the help that would make a huge difference in your life? Consider what help you can add to your life to make a change.

2. Exhausted Mom, Please Take Care of Yourself

Are you eating well? Exercising? Getting enough sleep? When you aren’t prioritizing yourself as a Mom, everything else suffers. When you’re tired and not getting enough sleep, even the simplest things seem overwhelming. I have a tendency to stay up late and get my own work done after the kids go to sleep. But then I always suffer for it in the morning! There’s no work that’s worth being even more exhausted the next day.

Exercise is something that I do not negotiate on. No matter how busy we are, I make time for exercise. It might just be a 20 minute workout. But it’s at least something! I take a lot of walks because I really enjoy being outside and having time to talk to my friends or listen to an audiobook. This is such a source of calm for me that I have two make it a priority! If you aren’t in a regular exercise routine, consider adding this even a few times a week. It might just really help you be more calm and focused.

3. Identify Sources of Stress

Being a Mom is stressful. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelmingly stressful. If you are feeling exhausted all the time, take time to identify the sources of your stress. Is your marriage under stress? Are you also taking care of aging parents? Is one of your children having emotional issues or behavior issues? Take the time to really look at your life and find any additional sources of stress that could be managed.

Consider talking with a trusted friend or loved one. I’ve experienced so many times when a friend helped identify a toxic or overwhelming person or situation that I felt like I was managing. When someone else hears your story, they have an outside perspective that can be life changing in helping you understand and manage it better.

4. You CAN Get By With a Little Help from Your Friends

In my previous tip, I suggested you talk to a trusted friend for support. But what if you don’t have a trusted friend? Or what if you could use more of a community? I know many people who need some more friends in their lives. But where do you find more friends or more of a community? For me, we have most of our community from our church family. They are a source of support and love that we can’t imagine our lives without. Simply, we do life together. It’s such a huge blessing in my life and something I do not take for granted.

Exhausted mom tips

Here are some places to find a community for an exhausted Mom:

  • Church or places of worship
  • School- consider joining the PTA or volunteering
  • Hybrid Homeschooling communities- if you consider hybrid homeschooling, a huge benefit is that you have more people to do life with day in and day out.
  • Homeschooling groups online- if you aren’t part of a hybrid homeschool, there are tons of homeschooling groups online where you can find virtual support and maybe even meet up in person.
  • Meetup.com– When my oldest was a baby, we lived in a new city where we didn’t know anyone. I found such a wonderful community of Moms that I had so much fun with! It was a wonderful experience.
  • Nextdoor.com– Have you heard of this hyper local community? Neighbors join through only verified addresses and you can possibly find new friends.

There you have it! Survival tips for the exhausted Mom! There’s no doubt about it; this is an exhausting time of life. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelmingly exhausting. You can find peace even in the midst of this busy time. I see you. You matter.

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