My Motherhood Survivor Skills

When it comes to having any survival skills, I think one of the hardest is motherhood. It can be daunting to think about what tomorrow will bring when you feel as if you’re drowning at home with missing socks, 2 huge piles of laundry and your kids whining about how hungry they are ( even though they just had dinner and 2 snacks ). Phew! It’s overwhelming to say the least!

Let’s face it, we know our kids grow up fast but it may not make being a Mom right now any easier. My kids tend to fight with one another and my emotions have definitely run borderline ‘crazy’ at times. The fighting, the crying and somedays you just feel like crying by being pulled in so many different directions. Sometimes motherhood is truly just about surviving day to day. I’ve actually wanted to share a few tips on how to survive motherhood because I know we all can!

1. Make Yourself a Priority– I learned this the hard way after my first born came into the world. He was everything and I kept putting myself last. I was worried, anxious and scared all the time. We’re just expected to do everything right. But here’s the truth- you’re human and you’re going to make mistakes. We need to impress the world, spoil our kids, neglect our spouse and then leave us to feeling exhausted. You have to start with YOU first. It’s not that you’re being selfish but you should start within yourself and then work your way out to your children, your spouse and then everyone else. In order to be an awesome super Mom- you need to have the energy and time to do it. Make yourself first to enjoy a cup of coffee, get to the work out class you’ve been wanting to try or get a new outfit. If you feel good about yourself, you feel good about helping your kids.

Image: Perimeter Designs

1. Ask For Help  – Sometimes as a mother you can feel isolated. NEVER feel that way. Grab a tribe of neighbors, best girlfriends or family if you can. Ask them for help to keep your saneness. I’ll ask my kids to help me around the house ( even if it might happen 40% of the time). One of the chores my daughter loves to assist with is cleaning the tables and countertops in our kitchen. Although I don’t love our countertops, we are looking to upgrade to some amazing ones from one of our favorite companies, Premier Surfaces Rochester NY. They are located in Rochester, New York.  They offer various countertop ideas such as marble, quartz, granite or various natural stones to choose from. You truly can’t go wrong either with this customer service either who are always such a friendly staff to help answer any question or concerns that you have.
2. Find An Escape – When a friend asked me what I did as part of my free time I almost answered- what’s that and was truly honest about that. Between e-mails, work, party planning, play dates, grocery shopping and more- what really is free time? My answer- find an escape. I’m not saying don’t run away but just find something you’re passionate about. For me, it’s writing and so sitting down in the morning with a cup of coffee to start my day is therapeutic for me. It can even be as simple as getting your nails done, eating a piece of your favorite dessert or reading a book. Make time at least a few minutes each day to do this! I insist you’ll feel so much better when you take time to escape for a half hour or two.
3. Set Goals – Goals give you motivation and direction in your life. They can be anything emotional, mental, friendship, physical, work, family, spiritual, finances or wanting to keep learning about something. Sometimes I set goals like “Am I taking care of myself?” “Am I surrounding myself with people who lift me up and help me become a better person?” “What new things can I learn today?”. These goals shouldn’t be there to overwhelm yourself. I would start with maybe 3 and then work your way each day or week. Make them realistic as possible to set yourself up for success!

How can you survive motherhood?

What ways do you make it day in and out?