Nurse Audrey's Stress Relief

Your Stress Relief Minute

Thoughts on Mother’s Day

On Sunday May 13th, mothers will be honored and revered by their families on this their special day. As I, too, am a mother, I would like to offer some suggestions on how Mothers can effectively balance their lives during these challenging times. I invite you to read my Blog, found on my web site, which briefly describes how valuable and special mothers are, and how we should be thankful everyday for them.

In these busy days when most mothers are being pulled in many different directions, trying to fulfill their role as mothers, they need to take time to examine their level of “life energy”. This is energy they have to spend each day - as mentioned in my Blog - being cooks, maids, chauffeurs, etc.

If you feel overwhelmed, short tempered and anxious, exhausted at the end of each day and can’t fall asleep properly at night, it may be because you are taking on too many responsibilities. If so, here are some suggestions to consider:

Delegate

Our children can be great helpers in the home. If your children are pre-teens, they should be given daily tasks to match their age and capabilities. As they grow into their teens, their outlook on life often changes, and helping around the house may be near the bottom of their list of priorities. I have found that making a list of daily chores written clearly on a wall chart and signed by them, when the job is done, goes a long way in developing a sense of responsibility and pride in them. I have also found it invaluable to be consistent in my expectations of them, and to now and then leave a little room for compromise. It is amazing how by taking a little pride in their own accomplishments they will begin to feel important and useful in the family environment.

We do need to remember that we are not our child’s co-equal, we are their parent! We need to let them know that when they get into the world not everyone is going to like them. A mother I know settles all arguments with, “No is a complete sentence in this house.”

When it comes to delegating, the men in our lives are usually willing to help when given specific direction. And remember that praise goes a long way to encourage helping hands.

Should you be a mom working outside the home, try to have a short rest to rejuvenate when arriving home after the workday. Children who are old enough can always start supper. The art of cooking is a valuable skill for our children to learn and will serve them well in the future.

Learn to Say NO!

Many of us as mothers tend to often over-promise. It just seems to be a part of our caring nature. However, before we over-commit ourselves to a task, we need to think of how we might feel if we cannot follow through. And after thinking about it, we may later resent what we promised to do. Hence, it may often be wise to say, “No,” right from the start.

I heard someone once say, “It is not good for you for me to say yes.” So it may not only be beneficial for us to say no, but ultimately, it may be beneficial for others also.

There is no need to apologize for turning down tasks that may cause us stress because of being over-committed. Sometimes we say yes to a request because we say it on the spur of the moment without thinking about the consequences. Instead, you can always say that you will think the request over and get back to them later. Sometimes I say, “I will have to check with my husband first,” and since he is bigger than the lady who asked me, I can always hide behind him, and say, “He said no!”

We can also experience more peace and harmony if we follow our life’s giftings by sticking to what we do best. After all, there is probably someone who would enjoy doing the job that we are now doing, and maybe even doing it better.

Taking care of our bodies is also important. A good way is to consistently follow a proper diet and exercise program. You like chocolate don’t you? And believe it or not, experts say that it is good for us. As women we knew this already! Dark chocolate is recommended because cocoa is rich in antioxidant flavonoids, helping lower the risk of heart disease, lung cancer, asthma and type 2 diabetes.

There are many helpful books that deal specifically with nutrition and exercise that can help you live better and be more productive, while at the same time reducing any harmful stress.

These are just a few suggestions for you as you fulfill your most important role as “Mother”

Happy Mother’s Day

To lighten your day:

He’s so sentimental. For Mother’s Day he sends his laundry home in a heart-shaped box.

Two big sellers in any book store are the cook books and the diet books. The cook books tell you how to prepare the food, and the diet books tell you how not to eat it.

Visit my Resources Page to find helpful information on handling teens, and also on learning how to live stress free.

Till next time… “Nurse Audrey” signing off!

Questions/Comments: audrey@possibilitiesnetwork.com
To SUBSCRIBE, click here
To UNSUBSCRIBE, click here
To CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, click here