4 Ways To Avoid Mommy Burnout

1. Say no – Just because someone asks you for something, doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to oblige. There’s no doubt that it’s hard the first few times, but you can’t always do for everyone else at the expense of yourself. If you have to sacrifice things that are important to you in order to help someone else, as tempting as it may be, don’t do it. The sooner you learn to say no, the sooner you’ll stop feeling like you’re stretched too thin. This was one of the first things that I learned after I had a baby. It’s no longer about everyone else. It’s about what’s best for my little family.

2. Sleep – Yes, I know, it’s virtually impossible to get any good, quality sleep when you have kids. I hear that. Seriously, though, go to bed when they go to bed. There are occasionally nights when I’m in bed at 9 PM. My husband always tells me that you can’t “bank” sleep, but sometimes I wonder. I know that I definitely feel better after getting a full night of sleep. So what if something doesn’t get done. Once in a while, do what’s best for you and don’t worry about everything else – it’ll still be there tomorrow.

3. Breathe – Take a few deep breaths, look around, and remind yourself that this too shall pass. As soon as you’ve worked through whatever the current crisis is, you should be able to relax again. Sometimes, just knowing that something isn’t going to last forever is enough to pull you through it. Some days are, no doubt, harder than others. You’ll get through it, though. You always do.

4. Ask for help – If all else fails, ask for help. Maybe, your husband can bath the kids tonight so that you can sit down for ten minutes and relax without any interruptions. Maybe, grandma can hang out with the little ones in their room, so that you can get some work done. Whatever you need to do, do it. Take a break. Sometimes, continuing to push through does more harm than good. If you need to regroup, find a way – sooner rather than later.

Do you have a bad habit of trying to be everything to everyone? How do you avoid burnout? Leave a comment and add to my list.

Written by: Cristi Wuenschel