Hey y'all!
We have all had those days where we just can't seem to catch a break. Between kids, chores, school, work and taking care of your spouse and home, it's easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out. And lately, that's all my life has been. From the time I get up, to the time I crawl into bed, I am constantly dealing with fighting, complaining and tears over who ate what and who drank out of who's cup. It wasn't until today when I realized that I had reached my max stress level and what I needed to do to revert back.

I was uncharacteristically myself today, I raised my voice  went straight into my Batman voice over everything, said somethings under my breath I would never dream of saying and I acted like a total brat. But the truth is, I was at that level of stress where all you can do is cry, scream or eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. I was that low.

When my husband arrives home, he always helps me unwind. He takes on a lot of things that I didn't get to that day, he corrects the kids and most of the time, he is starting dinner. He truly is my rock and knight in shinning armor. But today was different, I allowed my stress to over shadow all the love. When he arrived, I started off complaining about feeling neglected when I wanted his time and how he always gives me too much attention at the wrong time (such a brat I know). I had allowed myself to be so negative and so stressed that I pushed my husband and kids away. And that is something that is NOT OK!!!

Once I felt like the world had it's back toward me and I ran into another room to sob my eyes out... it hit me! The kids are fed and full, the husband is taken care of and enjoying his time of making music and watching a game, why not use that as an opportunity of "neglect" to de- stress and relax. For once, the kids were getting along flawlessly, and my husband wasn't needing something.  So I headed to my room and shut the rest of the world out. I put on my new favorite show and started brainstorming...




HOW CAN WE DEAL WITH MOM STRESS...

1. Step back and breathe- When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed the best thing you can do is step back, relax and take a deep breath. I know it's harder than it seems but once you are able to acknowledge that you are starting to feel overwhelmed or stressed, you avoid that tipping point and the huge blow up. The last thing you want to do is go Batman over everything.

2. Pause- Whether you are doing your chores, helping with school work or whatever else you are doing that is not easing the stress, take a pause. It can wait. You need to be the best you before you can be the best mom or wife.

3. Watch something funny- Watching something funny is one of the best ways to escape the stress. I can't count how many times I had forgotten the stress of the day just by putting on a show or movie that is funny or even a favorite of mine. It also allows you to 1, breathe and 2, pause.

4. Practice self care- Taking a bubble bath, go for a walk, listen to music, hit the gym, read a book.. anything that gives the time you need to be alone and unwind is self care. Taking one day a week to really practice self care really helps with the stress and overwhelming life we have.

5. Ask for help- There is nothing wrong with asking for help. We all need help at some point and sometimes that will determine your breaking point. Having a friend or family member watch the kids for 2 or 3 hours so you can go on a date with your spouse or even yourself is a great simple way you could ask for help.

With social media, mom bloggers/ vloggers and the unrealistic reality t.v., we can start to feel inadequate with our lives. We start to feel like we are lacking in the parenting  department, our kids are not as cool as theirs and our lives are not as perfect as theirs. So we get frustrated and  we allow ourselves to try and be perfect which is only adding to our daily stress. The truth is, no matter how many times you hear it.. "no one is perfect"... you have to make yourself believe it.

In case you haven't heard it lately, YOU ARE DOING GREAT! YOU GOT THIS AND YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!

How do you deal with mom stress? Let me know in the comments below!