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We all have seen the mom who appeared to be such a calm mom and from a distance we crave her calmness. In the midst of our own crazy, we wish for a sense of calm, but it seems out of reach. Being a calm mom does not have to be an impossible dream.
(1) Sit down for ten minutes every day to rest and refuel.
(2) Spend less time distracted by your phone. Just put it away, leave it in another room or charge it for certain times each day.
(3) Take the time to exercise like trying a 30-day challenge. It increases your endorphins & makes you HAPPY. 🙂
(4) Get more sleep by going to bed earlier. Some seasons we need more sleep than others! Here are some tips to help you get more sleep.
(5) Check your expectations to see if you need to adjust them. I try to remember that I can only do what I can do, so I do what will make my family happy. If that means not going to 3 birthday parties in a weekend, we don’t go.
(6) Determine what your stress points are and then come up with a solution. If dinner time is stressful, consider doing some meal prep. I also have a “healthy crockpot meals – 7-day meal plan” Pinterest board. I use it weekly & change it every week. You’re welcome to follow for some ideas.
(7) Stop for a minute and listen to your kids and you will see all they are learning and may teach you! Be sure to give them your attention… look in their eyes & really listen to them.
(8) Take a deep breath when you are in a stressful situation. I love this advice from The Abundant Mama: “Take a deep breath. Never ever punish when angry. Just don’t. Heed this advice and you’ll always be a calm parent. Separate the kids and then walk away. Step outside. Or, go to your room and close the door and lay on your bed until you are calm. Run down to the basement. Put on some music in your ear buds. Something. Anything. Just breathe and calm down before you even attempt to react.”
(9) Remind yourself that no matter what, love remains at the center.
(10) Create an evening routine for your family so your days can start off calm. Get things ready for the next day & your next day will start off well.
(11) Say no more often to all of the external things and say yes to your kids. When you put God, your family & yourself at the center of things… things just work out the way that they should.
(12) Take ten minutes to de-stress your home. There are certain areas of your home that will cause you stress. Does walking by your kitchen counter bother you? Spend 10 minutes cleaning it off. It will make a difference in the way that you feel. Honest.
(13) You do not have to do everything.
(14) Schedule in time just for you! This is hard to do, but maybe it’s at the end of the night, for 30 minutes before bed. For me, reading a good book would be all that I need to have time for me (and it would make me fall asleep, so it’s a win-win!)
(15) Lie down with your kids at night & just talk. Nothing is more relaxing than bonding with your kids & there is not time like the present.
(16) Laugh every day. Play with your kids!
(17) Let go of your chase of perfection. No one can do it all, so don’t try. 😉
(18) Stay in the present moment, not in the past or future. Try to remember that days are slow, but the years fly by. Enjoy the moment that you are in.
(19) Fill your mind with helpful resources that promote calmness. There are even apps to help you relax. My friend Jillian (she blogs at CatchMyParty) told me once about an app called Head Space that she just loves!
(20) When you are feeling overwhelmed, head outside or call a friend to vent. For me, I just call my mom. I could go on & on about whatever is bothering me and when I’m done, I always feel better. Sometimes, you just need to tell someone.
(21) Get up before your kids to start the day. Seriously. This was SO hard for me to do, but it was great. I started getting up an hour before them, working out and then being ready for the day before they even woke up. Instead of being ‘sloth-like’ in the morning, I had energy & was ready to get them ready & ‘out the door’ in under an hour, since that’s all the time that they have on school mornings. 🙂
(22) Let go of the mom guilt and take a break. I am the queen of guilt (I grew up Catholic… we’re known for carrying guilt). It’s ok to let it go. Give yourself permission.
(23) Remember your kids will push the boundaries and test you. Remembering this is normal can help.
(24) Determine that you will choose grace over anger.
(25) Clear out all of the clutter.
What about you? How do you stay calm? Here are a few more posts you might like:
Hi! I just came to say that this post is a godsend. I’ve been having trouble to keep myself centered and stress-free with so many things going on, but your tips are extremely interesting and I’ll definitely put them in practice. Thank you so much!