Motherhood is a journey with no shortage of love, joy, and overwhelming stress.  Yes, you heard it right, overwhelming stress!  As much as we love and adore our children and family, the role of being a mother can be overwhelming at times as we juggle so many responsibilities.

The roles and responsibilities moms play are never-ending.  When the kids are young, we of course are responsible for their every need, making it difficult for us to take care of ourselves or even get decent sleep.  As they get older, the responsibility of how we take care of them changes some, but it still doesn’t end.  

Even as we function as overwhelmed moms, many of us wouldn’t change a thing about our family.  But things can get better as we learn to step back and catch our breath so that we can get back to the land of better.  But before we get to the land of better, let’s look at how being an overwhelmed mom affects us.

Effects of being an overwhelmed mom

It’s no surprise that being an overwhelmed mom negatively impacts us and our household.  Here are 5 ways:

1. Brain fog

When operating as an overwhelmed mom, our thinking changes.  As moms, we are responsible for so many decisions so the last thing we need is brain fog.  Increased stress makes it difficult for us to think clearly and make decisions.  This alone can make us feel frustrated, defeated, and anxious. 

2. Wanting to isolate

Being an overwhelmed mom can cause the feeling of wanting to escape.  It’s not that we love our family any less but the overwhelming stressors associated with motherhood can feel like too much at times.  It sometimes feels like getting away from everyone is the only option.

3. Neglecting self-care

At a time when self-care needs to be prioritized, it is typically the first thing that most of us mothers will stop doing when we feel overwhelmed.  When we do this, it makes it extremely difficult for us to get back on track.

4. Emotional Rollercoaster

It can feel like we are on an emotional rollercoaster when we are overwhelmed.  There are times when we feel like we are okay in the moment and then blow up in the next moment.  We may even display increased snappiness and irritability.

5. Sleep Disturbances

Trying to get good quality sleep will be very difficult when feeling overwhelmed.  When lying down to sleep, we often think over the things we need to take care of on our to-do list.  We sometimes even replay our day making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Strategies for getting back on track

Operating as an overwhelmed mom, we sometimes feel so defeated that we don’t even know where to start to string things back in.  But I’m here to say, all hope is not gone.  There’s so much that you can do to help yourself get back to the land of better.

When we feel overwhelmed, inserting a small step such as developing a plan to tackle the overwhelm will help us to get back on track.  It will vary from mom to mom but here are some key solutions to factor in.

1. Reach Out

This is the perfect time to reach out to our support system.  I know sometimes we don’t because we feel like we are burdening others but when we do that, we deprive the people we care about to show up for us like we need them to.  Let them decide if they are unable to help but don’t take away the opportunity for them to do so.  Most of them are just waiting for us to reach out.

2. Prioritize Self-Care

Using self-care is one of the best and fastest ways to get back on track.  When we do self-care acts, we are giving our bodies and minds the space to rejuvenate itself.  Self-care is the fuel to our functioning and just like you wouldn’t drive a car on empty, don’t do that to yourself.

3. Utilize Mindfulness and Relaxation Strategies

There are so many mindfulness and relaxation strategies out there but attempting some simple ones like deep breathing is helpful to know it can be done anywhere and anytime.  Other strategies that are super helpful are journaling, meditation, getting out in nature, exercising, and grounding techniques.

Closing Thoughts

Being an overwhelmed mom doesn’t have to be a way of living everyday life.  Now don’t get me wrong, it is expected to happen from time to time but putting some things in place can help reduce the overwhelm.

Also, just know you don’t have to wait until you’re extremely overwhelmed to devise a plan for the overwhelm.  When looking at what you have coming up, you can choose to create a plan to tackle the possibility of feeling stressed ahead of time and put things in place to prevent becoming an overwhelmed mom. 

Motherhood can be extremely challenging, but it also can be very enjoyable.  Let’s spend more time enjoying it and our family.  And in the meantime, I’m wishing you good mental wellness.