Helping You Love Yourself into Success and Less Stress! Stress Management for Moms: When Is It Your Turn? by Ilenya Marrin, DSS HOME FREE NEWSLETTER PRODUCTS SERVICES ABOUT ME TESTIMONIALS RESOURCES CONTACT When Is It Your Turn? Use Self-Care for Stress Management Is your only time for yourself today likely to be five minutes in the bathroom? Have you been feeling tired, wired and more than a bit overwhelmed by the demands of your life? Is it getting harder to recognize the "Wow!" moments in parenting? In your hectic schedule as a mom, how often do you remember to take care of yourself? Everyone Else Comes First If you are a typical mother, you tend to put everyone else's needs before your own. You probably hold a full or part-time job, you manage your home, pay bills, nurture all the family members, plan and organize, cook, clean, take children to and participate in school events, and stay in touch with your extended family and friends. And that's just for starters. It's Time to Stop and Regroup! Do you need a self-nurturing break for stress reduction? Here are four questions to help you decide. Because you're so busy, it will be tempting to scan these questions and dismiss them. Take Two Minutes I invite you take two minutes, take a deep breath and let these questions sink in. Let yourself see, hear or simply know the answers from the core of your being. 1. Do I feel like I'm running on empty? (Tired, drained, run-down, or running on will power and adrenaline?) 2. Am I ignoring my own feelings, or setting them aside, in order to be there for others? 3. Am I feeling numbed out by emotionally challenging events? 4. Am I feeling stressed out? (Overwhelmed, frustrated, irritable, emotions easily triggered, physically run-down?) So, What Were Your Answers? If you got even one "Yes," "Sometimes," or "Almost," answer, you need to give yourself some of the same loving attention you give to everyone else! After all, if you don't take care of you, how can you continue to be there for your family? Be There for Yourself Here are three more questions to trigger some "positive parenting" possibilities for yourself. 1. What can I do today to take care of myself? (This could be anything from dropping an item from your to do list, to taking a walk or a hot bath, to a few minutes for uplifting reading, prayer or meditation.) 2. What could I do for one hour this week to totally nurture myself? 3. What would be fun, soothing or uplifting, that would help to regenerate my energy and renew my loving spirit? Make a Date with You Let these questions spark ideas, then make a date to apply nurturing to your own wonderful self. Yes, pencil it into your calendar! For best results, repeat regularly! Often, short breaks to nurture yourself make all the difference. When you take care of yourself first, you'll be giving from a full cup. When you take care of your own needs for a little alone time or fun time, you'll more easily maintain your balance in the face of the inevitable challenges of parenting. As you build in renewal time for yourself, you'll be using good stress management. You'll decrease your frazzle factor and enjoy the "Wow!" power of being a mom a lot more often. Back to Welcome Page and List of Recent Articles Stress Management for Moms: When Is It Your Turn?

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