Overwhelm is one of those feelings no one enjoys.
It can lead to procrastination, because where do you even start? Or it can create an underlying aggitation that boils over to anger and inpatience with your kids.
When you have kids around, it can feel difficult to have a moment to yourself to sort through the overwhelm. But it doesn’t have to take a ton of time to start feeling more organized and in control.
I’m sharing with you five tips to eliminate the overwhelm so that your brain feels more organized and in control.
Why Do Mom’s Feel So Overwhelmed?
There’s a few reasons why you may be feeling overwhelmed:
- You are comparing yourself to someone else who seems to have way more on their plate, yet is doing it all with a smile and on time.
- You think that you need to be EVERYTHING to everyone.
- Your kids aren’t listening to you and acting crazy all over the house and you think you’ve lost control.
- You feel lost in how to manage your kids and the gazillion other responsibilities you have.
The world has evolved, but the role of “mom” still carries some hefty responsibility whether you have a partner who helps, or not. We have grown up believing that our role as a mom is to handle it all, and make sure the household runs smoothly!
It doesn’t have to be this way, though. You can step out of the “mom” mold and start living your life in a way that eliviates the overwhelm so you can enjoy your family more.
If you’re overwhelm has gotten to the point where you feel angry and frustrated all the time, I encourage you to checkout my series about how to be a more happy and confident mom.
5 Tips To Stop Mom Overwhelm
Tip #1 – Make a List
When you feel like your brain cannot hold any more information, get a piece of paper out and make a list. It doesn’t have to be an organized list, or a specific type of list. Write down all the tasks that are going through your head. When you think you have written enough, ask yourself, “what else?” And just keep writing.
Once you have your list in front of you, you can decide if you want to take action or not. But at least your mind can take a break from holding onto all your tasks.
I often find that once I’ve created a list, I can feel my body relaxing a little. I’m also much more motivated to take action. I will often start with the easiest task and go from there.
Plus, I really enjoy the satisfaction that comes from crossing out an item on my to-do list.
Related: 8 Checklists That Make Life Better
Tip #2: Spend a Few Minutes Journaling
Journaling gets a bad rap, sometimes. In the past, thinking about journaling would make me feel overwhelmed! But once I created a simple routine around journaling, it was life changing.
I used journaling to completely change my relationship with my kids and how I parent.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, spend 5-10 minutes with a notebook, and answer this question: What is bothering me right now? Let your pen flow and do not censor yourself. Get all the crap in your head onto the paper.
When you do this type of brain dump, you release the story that is spinning in your head, taking up precious brain space. Your mind will feel a bit more free, decreasing your overwhelm.
Tip #3: State the Facts
This is another tip that will help calm your brain down so you feel less overwhelmed.
You may look around and see utter chaos – your kids are arguing, the laundry from two days ago is still sitting in a pile on the couch, and you haven’t had a chance to pick-up the breakfast dishes and it’s almost dinner time…
In these moments, your overwhelm can cause you to freeze, or more likely procrastinate.
Instead, take a deep breath and state the facts. For example:
- Clothes on the couch
- Kids saying words to eachother
- Dishes on table
This is the truth in your moment of overwhelm. Nothing has went wrong.
Once you can see things without your mind drama involved, you can then decide how you want to proceed with intention.
Related: How To Feel More In Control (As A Mom)
Tip #4: Just Do Something – Take Action
As I was getting ready to go on vacation recently, I started feeling really overwhelmed with the other half of my to-do list that needed completing. I sat down on the bed for a few minutes and turned on the TV…I figured taking a little break wouldn’t hurt.
About an hour into my Hulu binging (I’ve been really into Good Trouble…)I started feeling that pull to just want to skip out of my to-do list and waste the afternoon away. The kids were busy playing with friends…so it was nice and quiet.
However, I knew that if I didn’t do what I needed to, it would probably ruin my vacation. So I had to get clever with my mind tricks.
I really needed to do some planning and a little bit of work to prepare for vacation. I told myself that all I needed to do was turn the TV off, go downstairs to my desk and set my timer for 15 minutes. In that 15 minutes I would accomplish as much as I could. When the timer went off, I gave myself the choice to watch TV again. But I just needed to take action! I eventually worked through my to-do list.
If you are in a state of paralysis with overwhelm, give yourself a short amount of time and take action. This helps to get your mind out of spinning mode and into productivity.
Tip #5: Remove Items From Your List or Delegate
I know it seems easier to handle things yourself, instead of delegating them out. But you’re doing yourself a disservice if you aren’t sharing household chores.
I recently started assigning chores to my kids to make my day easier. They set the table, and help clean up after dinner. They are also responsible for putting their laundry away, taking out the garbage, vacuuming, and a few other little tasks.
Not only has this made dinner time easier for me, the kids are learning valuable skills – like how to set a table properly, and how to clean a bathroom. Plus, they earn a little money.
This is the exact chore chart we use in our house, and it comes with over 55 little chore icons so you have a variety of ways to have your kids help out. Take your first step to delegating by checking this out.
My husband and I try to keep an open dialogue of ways we can split the chores, or areas where I need his help around the house.
Delegating out these chores took time, but it was better then the constant overwhelm and resentment I was feeling because I kept thinking I had to do EVERYTHING!
Use These 5 Tips To Stop Mom Overwhelm
I hope you recognize that you don’t have to feel overwhelmed all the time. By using one or all of these tips, you can start feeling a bit more relaxed and in control.
Which overwhelm tip will you put to use? What do you do to reduce your overwhelm? Please share in the comments below.