Dear Weary Mom, I See You

 

Did you rush through that last bedtime story because what you needed was a glass of wine and some reality TV?

 

Did you serve mac and cheese and chicken nuggets for the 5th night in a row?

 

Do you get so tired a full nights sleep won’t even put a dent in it?

 

Do you go to bed full of guilt promising the next day will be better?  Does that resemble scenes from the movie Groundhog Day?

 

Do you ever lock yourself in the bathroom for 5 minutes of peace and quiet?

 

Do you scream at your kids to stop screaming?  Maybe so much your throat hurts?  Do you recognize the irony and keep doing it anyway?

 

Did you ever drop a swear word then lose your mind when you heard it come out of your child’s mouth?

 

Did you spend most of your day cleaning up your house only to have it completely trashed while you made dinner?  

 

Did you shed tears when you couldn’t help your child with his elementary math homework?

 

Are you ALWAYS refereeing fights between siblings?  Are you ever thanked for those highly skilled and unpaid services?

 

Did you ever get so tired of refereeing that you didn’t, and someone got hurt?  How did that guilt trip feel?

 

Do you have a toddler?  Period.    

 

Did your middle school daughter come to you with friend problems and you didn’t have any helpful words for her?

 

Did you ever send your child to daycare or school with a low-grade fever and an extra dose of ibuprofen because you really couldn’t afford to call off work?

 

Did you wake up to the morning news and the latest gun shooting or terror attack?  Then just like that, it was game on, time to be a full-time parent.  No time to process or grieve for the sadness in our world.  

 

Do you sometimes let your kids have too much screen time because that means a few more minutes for you to get some things done?  Not time to do anything fun for yourself, just to get things (cooking, cleaning, laundry) done.  

 

Are you a working mom who feels guilty and left out?

 

Are you a stay at home mom who wishes she could get out?

 

Do you secretly wish you are divorced with shared custody to get a “break”?

 

Did you ever yell at your clumsy child for falling and getting hurt because she wasn’t listening to you? All she wanted was a reassuring hug.  All you could give her was an “I told you so”.  

 

Do you follow all the “rules”  to keep your kids healthy and get blindsided by pneumonia or some other serious illness?

 

Did you ever forget to take your child to soccer practice because your brain was so overloaded, you just simply forgot?

 

Do you fear 1/2 the neighborhood can hear your family feuds because everyone in your house is so good at yelling?

 

Does a trip to the grocery store with kids in tow wear you out for the rest of the day?

 

Does every family meal at a restaurant turn into a nightmare?

 

I see you.  You are not alone.  

 

 

Call your Mom, your sister, your bestie, your neighbor, anyone you can lean on.  Trust me, they will be glad you did.

 

Check out 10 Places to Meet Your Columbus Moms Tribe

 

If you are feeling depressed, get professional help.

 

Don’t feel ashamed or unworthy, just get help. Does your job have any employee matrix program?  Sometimes you can get free counseling through these types of programs.  Take advantage of them.

 

If you focus on being exhausted, stressed and out of control, you will get more exhaustion, stress, and weariness.  Instead, focus on the small wins.  The Universe will reward you with more small wins and they will snowball into big wins.  Repeat this affirmation, “Every moment is a potential miracle.  Take a deep breath, just be love, and the watch the miracle unfold.”

 

Ready to prepare an organic homemade meal from scratch?  Probably not!  But you can take baby steps.  Avoid processed foods as much as you can, forgiving yourself for when you need them, and just eat real food.  It doesn’t have to be complicated real food.  Concentrate your efforts and budget on organic meat, veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.  

 

Do you rely on caffeine to keep you going all day?  Caffeine dehydrates your body.  Add in some glasses of pure, filtered water to sip on throughout the day.  Also, try some sparkling waters or herbal teas.  Add lemons or limes to perk up the taste and add extra nutrition.  Lemons not only help detoxify your body and reduce acidity, they add vital nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, and protein.

 

You don’t have to join a gym or do complicated exercise routines.  Just move your body.  Take a walk. Getting in touch with Mother Nature can work miracles!  Go swimming.  Try some yoga videos on YouTube.  Dance around the house while doing housework.  Do whatever makes you feel good!  Moving your body will increase your circulation, stimulate your lymphatic system, get toxins mobilized and out of your body, and get vital nutrients and oxygen to your weary brain.  

 

Essential oils are backed by thousands of years of history and tons of current research.  They are well known to improve energy, reduce stress, improve your mood, and boost immunity.  They can even help calm down your kids.  

 

Start a worry journal to put worries to bed before going to sleep.

Start a gratitude journal to start your day off on the right foot. Find inspiration here: The Gratitude Project

 

Meditation has been well studied and proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.  It improves moods, energy, awareness, concentration, and memory.  Don’t make this complicated!  Find a quiet corner, grab a pillow, and pop a squat.  Sit quietly and try to quiet your mind for just a few minutes at a time.  If that is too difficult, try a free guided meditation.  Check out www.calm.com for free meditations and to download a free app.  

 

This is a win-win for everyone!  You will have less on your plate, and you will be teaching your kids’ very important lifelong lessons.