In the Defense of Super Girl

Find yourself drowning the sea of “trying to do it all?”  You aren’t alone.  Many work at home moms are considerably stressed due to the work and home pressures that stay with them 24/7.  Many moms who work outside the home leave work at the office (in some cases), whereas if you work from home it’s always there…stalking you, taunting you.

You also have your family to care for which isn’t just a day job either.  This uncomfortable marriage of work and family can push even the most unshakable mom over the edge.  Other than wine and Prozac what’s a work at home mom to do?

You can take a few steps to keep the “crazies” at bay.  No matter how young your children, you can fit some or all of these steps into your daily routine to take the edge off and hopefully allow you to breathe a little easier.

• Exercise: I know….that’s what everyone says. But this is why you should exercise: it helps take off the baby weight and it gets the blood flowing throughout your body so the activity switch in your brain is switched in the “on” position. Exercise also helps you release aggression and aggravation. I can’t tell you how many times the burden of work and family has been released on a five mile run.

Even if you have little ones at home you can still work out on a daily basis.  Use a treadmill when they are taking a nap or use an exercise DVD.  Tae Bo and Jillian Michaels does a body good.

• Healthy food: Once again…duh, right? Here’s the thing; junk in, junk out. Don’t you feel mentally better when you’ve eaten a clean, fresh diet rather than sugar and processed foods? Many work at home moms are eating on the go so grab fresh carrot sticks and ranch dip or an apple instead of chips and salsa. Another great healthy snack is hot air popped popcorn topped with low calorie butter spray and a light dusting of salt.

• Write it down: I literally have to write down every single move I make throughout the day. When your day is packed with a variety of activities coming from both work and home it’s difficult to remember what comes next just from memory. Use a different colored pen for work activities versus home activities. Write down every task in your planner daily as you go so that you don’t forget.

• Sleep: Another obvious one but one of the best ways to tackle your day is after a good nights sleep. I tend to make many more mistakes at work and home when I haven’t had sleep. Try to put kids in bed early every night and go to sleep at the same time. My friends have a joke about my sleep pattern-no one can reach me after 9PM because they know I’m already unconscious.

Moms who are still up at night with their babies may be on sleep deprivation auto pilot but if you can catch a nap during one of your baby’s naptimes, your body and mind will thank you.

These are all basic ideas but when I skip doing any of these, my stress levels increase.  Please share what works for you!