As someone who suffers from stress, anxiety, and OCD, I know first hand that it can really take a toll on your life. I like things to be in a certain order, and when they’re not, I get VERY stressed about it. 

Let me tell you right now, when you’re a mom, you just have to throw that need for order to the wind! Nothing is ever in order. My house is never 100% how I want it to be. Laundry is never 100% put away. Your own personal schedule takes a backseat to baby’s schedule. 

I really struggled with this the first two months after Hollings was born. The days seemed to be endless, but when Jay would ask what I did that day, I would just stare blankly at him. What DID I do all day? Well, let’s see, between feeding Hollings 6 times a day, I changed about 10 diapers, including one so big that I had to wash the onesie AND the changing table cover. I cleaned spit up off of the floor about 3 times. I attempted to put her down for 3 naps, which maybe lasted 15 minutes each. I chose to eat a sandwich over taking a shower. Hey, I made the bed, at least! Oh wait…no… I made it yesterday…it’s still unmade today. Oh right, I remember what I did today – a single load of laundry. 

Every night when I would get in bed, I would be overcome with stress. I would be stressed about how much needed to get done around the house. I got stressed about how little I accomplished that day. It wasn’t until I made the conscious decision that I wasn’t going to let my stress and anxiety run my life that I finally was able to get a hold of myself again.

I know that many of you reading this might not be moms, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get stressed. I suffered from stress and anxiety way before I had Hollings. After years of figuring out how to deal with it, I have finally developed a list of things that help me get my stress under control.

1. Early To Bed, Early To Wake

I’m the type of person that needs my sleep. Some people can survive off of 5 to 6 hours of sleep at night. Nope. Not me. I need my 8 hours. Since having Hollings, my sleeping in days are over, but even before having her, I didn’t like sleeping in. It made me feel like the day was being wasted. It made me feel lazy. For me, feeling lazy and like I’m not getting enough accomplished = stress. Going to bed early and getting a good night’s sleep does wonders for my mental health.

2. Treat Yo’self

Find something that you really enjoy, and devote at least 15 minutes a day to it. For me, it’s having a nice cup of coffee in the morning. This doesn’t mean have a cup of coffee while I feed Hollings. It doesn’t mean have a cup of coffee while I put on my make-up. It means sit on the couch, under a blanket, and slowly sip my cup of coffee. This sets the best tone for my day. Find what your little joy is and allow yourself a bit of “me time” everyday. 

3. Work Out

I know you’re all rolling your eyes right now, but really! It helps! Studies have shown that working out is a great stress reliever. Plus, when you work out, you’ll feel good about yourself, and the need to do it won’t be hanging over your head. It doesn’t have to be a crazy intense work out. You don’t need a gym. You don’t need to sign up for a class. You don’t even need a ton of time. Pinterest and youtube are great tools for quick little 20 minute work outs. You’ll finish feeling good and less stressed!

4. Find Something Productive That Relieves Stress

For me, this is folding laundry. That’s right. I’m crazy. I actually enjoy folding laundry. Especially if I can put on a good playlist while I do it. I don’t have to use any brain power. I can just fold and be alone with my thoughts. For me, it’s therapeutic PLUS it’s nice to know I’m also getting things done that need to get done. 

5. Make A List Of REALISTIC Goals

I’m a list person. I literally will make a list for everything. It is an awesome tool for organizing what you need to get done and makes life a little less chaotic. IMPORTANT NOTE: lists only relieve stress if you don’t get too down on yourself for not completing them. When Jay and I got back from 2 weeks of traveling over the holidays, I said to him, “I am so stressed about everything that needs to be done around the house.” He responded with, “Well don’t be! It doesn’t all have to be done in a day. You’ll get it done.” At the end of the day, instead of focusing on what you didn’t get accomplished, focus on what you DID get accomplished. So what if you only got 3 out of 5 things done on your to do list? You’ll pick back up where you left off tomorrow!

All of the above being said, I must say that a little bit of stress is actually GOOD. We need healthy stress. It’s what keeps us going. It helps us strive to work towards our goals and become better versions of ourselves. Just remember, don’t let it take over your life. You can go to bed with dishes still in the sink sometimes. You don’t have to complete every little task before turning out the lights at night. You’ve got tomorrow. It’ll all be okay.

Cheers,

Leigh