Motherhood can bring you the kind of joy that is incomparable. But it is also a very stressful job that can literally drain you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This is why it is quite easy to pick up habits that can harm your health and quality of life. It is time that you change your habits for the better. Avoid these three toxic mom habits so you can live a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life.
Doing Everything on Your Own
Mom burnout is real and is one thing no one should take lightly. Many moms have these unrealistic expectations and would exhaust themselves just to try and meet those expectations. One of these expectations is that as a mother, it is your job to do everything on your own. This includes household chores, child care, spousal role, and work responsibilities if any.
Trying to do everything on your own is simply an impossible thing to do. With all the responsibilities you need to juggle on your plate, 24 hours is never enough to accomplish everything. It is important to accept the fact that you are only human and you have your limitations. Every day is a new day and each day comes with new challenges and struggles. There is no point in embracing everything when you have someone you can share the responsibilities with.
Learn how to delegate tasks with every capable hand in the household. Training kids to have a sense of responsibility and discipline as early as possible will not only do them good later on in life. You will also feel supported knowing everyone in the house is doing their part for and by themselves.
When it comes to bigger chores like house repair and maintenance, talk to your spouse on the best ways to deal with them. You can always hire the experts to make sure that your plumbing works, that your central air conditioning is in great shape, and that your home is a safe place to live in. Stop stressing on every little detail when you can always hire home services to take care of your specific needs.
Taking Your Own Needs for Granted
It is easy to drop everything we are doing and head over to the hospital after learning our kids are not feeling well. But once it is you who experiences pain and discomfort, you won’t even bother to set an appointment with your doctor. Moms find it easy to buy their kids additional toys and extra clothes when they haven’t even bought anything they like for how many months or years now. They won’t even take a break if it meant picking up their kids from school after a long and tiring day at work.
These are but common examples where moms fail to practice self-care. It is time you start mothering yourself and start prioritizing your needs too. Remember that you can only give too much. If your own love tank is empty, then you will have nothing else to give to your family.
Know that you should not only make time to practice self-care every once in a while. You won’t achieve your goals if you don’t make self-care a habit. Develop a daily routine where you can mother yourself the way you care for your own kids.
Forgetting About Your Social Life
After having kids, you can end up with a fewer number of friends over the years. Now that you have more than a handful of responsibilities, it can be quite hard to maintain an active social life. Failure to nourish and maintain your relationship with others, especially with your friends can leave you with a non-existent social life.
As a parent, you can use all the companionship you can get, even if it meant talking to a friend over the phone just so you have someone to share your struggles with. The shift in priorities and lack of time can stop you from maintaining old and new friendships. But that does not necessarily mean you can no longer catch-up with your old friends or even start friendships with other moms.
Know your limits when meeting with your girlfriends. If they are bringing their own kids along, you can consider your get-together as a play date. If no kids will tag along, then it would be best to leave your children to someone whom you can trust to babysit them. If you find that your non-mom friends are getting tired of your mom talks, find yourself other mom-friends to hang out with.
Are you guilty of trying to do everything on your own, for taking yourself for granted and for neglecting your social life? Know that almost all moms are still making the same mistakes. Once you manage to break these habits, you can finally taste greater happiness and good health and become a better role model for your kids.
