9 Skills to Master as a Busy Mom
If you're a busy mom then it's important for you to learn some basic survival skills if you're going to get through your days at night with minimum hassle. Being a mom is overwhelming and your kids can literally take over your life.
It can be difficult for you to manage everything and still have time for your personal life as well. If you're feeling the burn of overwhelm you are not alone. The good news is that there are some things you can do to minimize this feeling.
You don't have to suffer under the weight of overwhelm. Here are the major things you need to implement right now to make your life easier.
Time Management
One of the first skills you have to master is that of time management. There's no way over, under or around age. If you're a person who's not organized and you have to take care of your kids and maybe even have a job outside of the home, without this skill you are always going to feel frazzled.
The only way to get that dazed look out of your eyes is to master time instead of having time master you. There are several things that you can use. A few simple ones are time blocking, and you can also use a Pomodoro timer to assist you as well.
If you are one of those people who are addicted to your phone you might want to try installing apps that lock certain apps for a specific amount of time. This way you will be able to get more work done.
Don't forget to implement delegation in your time management plan. You need to delegate responsibilities in the home as well. There's no need for you to play “Supergirl”. If your kids are old enough and your partner is willing let them do some of the tasks and take a break.
Be an Organization Queen
Another thing you must master if you are going to make your life more functional is organization. When your household is well organized it functions smoothly and this will greatly reduce your stress.
How is it possible you may ask? The way to do this is to establish a routine. Even if kids fight against routines they love them because they tell them what to do and when to do it. You won't have to let family members run around like headless chickens.
Everybody should know what they are supposed to do in the morning when they wake up before they go to school and what they need to do before bed. Getting a workflow going is the very essence of organization.
Try to declutter as much as possible as well. This will make everything easy to find.
Communicate Well
You need to make sure your communication is clear and effective as this is important for developing healthy relationships in your family unit. It will also save your sanity.
Do not bottle things up and keep them inside because sooner or later it's all going to come exploding out of you and then that's when the conflicts start.
This is an important skill when dealing with your partner but it's also important for your kids as well. Make sure that you are using active listening skills, expressing your thoughts and feelings as openly as possible in addition to nurturing empathy.
When you start communicating well with your partner, children and even your extended family members you will be able to resolve conflict and have an atmosphere of trust.
Stress Management
If you're going to relieve stress you need to embrace mindfulness. For many mindfulness may include journaling, relaxation techniques and even meditation. For you, it may look like taking long walks, or just sitting quietly by yourself for a few minutes or an hour.
As a mom you have to become a student of mindfulness. There's no other way to secure your mental health as well as your emotional well-being. You must find a way to cope with your stress because it will cause you to feel like you are in a valley and unable to climb to the mountains. This can go on for a long time and it can affect your physical health too.
Prepare Those Meals
It's a fact that you're going to need to feed your children and it can be one of the most overwhelming parts of motherhood. Putting food in the mouths of your little ones isn't solved just by getting that paycheck.
The quest continues because you have to make sure that you are giving them foods that are nutritious and healthy. Most of the time you're going to have to prepare them as well.
All of this is extremely stressful, add to this the fact that some of your kids may be picky eaters. The best way to survive all of this is by being a smart mom and engaging in meal preparation practices.
Create meals ahead of time and freeze some of them if you can. Have your menu planned out for the week or even a month ahead of time.
This way you will know what your kids will be eating on any given day. Whenever you can get your kids and your partner to help out in the kitchen do so. Meal preparation can also be family time as well.
Once a week when you are tired you could give your children takeout. This could be your day off from cooking.
Be Open to Learning
Making yourself open to learning is something that you have to consider when you are a mother. If you're open to learning you are likely to find new and creative ways to handle whatever is thrown at you throughout the day.
Let's face it when it comes to kids there's always something. Your attitude towards it and your willingness to find answers to specific problems is what will stop you from getting run down.
For example, if you're financially strapped and you need new curtains it might be a good idea for you to pick up YouTube videos on how to make curtains yourself. If you need decorating you can create artwork and beautify your home, it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece.
Try to develop practical skills such as learning CPR online from the National CPR Foundation, over time all this will snowball together to make you a more effective mom.
Managing Your Finances
You have to make sure that you are taking financial management into consideration when you are a mom. The long-term stability of your family depends on it.
Being frugal is not something that you should be embarrassed about. It is something that you need to have so you need to make sure that you are embracing budgeting techniques and saving strategies as well. Don't shy away from learning about investments. These can save you in the long run, especially if you fall on hard times.
You have to make sure that you are laying a foundation for financial success. Don’t sleep on this, take courses, attend seminars and employ financial advisors if you must but get your finances under control.
Self Care
This is one of those skills you must master or you are going to be opening the door for mental and health problems to come and live in your home, it's that serious. It doesn't matter how you carve out this time you must make sure that you are taking it so you can look after yourself.
If you have to put it in your schedule then go ahead and do so. Make sure your kids and your partner know whenever you are having some “me” time. If you're at home they should know that it's not the time for you to be interrupted. There must be a period of time when you can do something just for you.
There are so many self-care activities that you can do. Take a bubble bath and drink a glass of wine. Sit down and watch your favourite show for a few hours, go for a walk or take a brand new class based on interest.
These are just a few suggestions, there are so many more things you can do to unwind and relax. Sometimes it's all about getting out into the sunshine and even getting fresh air.
Problem-Solving
As a mom you're probably thinking that this should have been the first pointer on this list, that is completely expected. You may feel as if all you do is solve problems.
Soon after you solve one problem you'll probably find another creeping up like a snake to replace it and it just goes on and on like a roller coaster of a cycle. This means that learning how to problem solve is one of the biggest skills you can have if you want to keep your sanity.
How are you going to learn how to problem-solve effectively? The truth is that when it comes to kids this is something that you learn on the job but there are a few things you can do such as having patience with yourself and your child. Also, practice active listening, this will help.
Find resources that can help you whenever you encounter a problem that you find difficult to solve. These days there is the internet at your fingertips you should be able to find what you are looking for.