12 Brilliant Ways to Reduce Stress as a Busy Mom

12 Brilliant Ways to Reduce Stress as a Busy Mom

Motherhood and stress go hand in hand. Whether it’s being worried your wild child is going to jump off of something too high or that your baby isn’t meeting her milestones, stress comes with the package. In order to keep the stress manageable, it is important to help yourself out.

While I can’t eliminate stress completely, I take actionable steps to ensure my days run smoother. Today I’m sharing my top 10 ways to reduce stress as a busy mom. 

Find Time Each Day to be Outside

I know I’m guilty of staying inside all day when it’s yucky out, but one of my goals for this year is to work on being outside more often. My toddler learns by seeing and doing, so I want to lead by example. It’s one of the many reasons I’m starting a garden this year. 

Obviously there are days when you just can’t get outside. Either the weather is too bad, or you’re sick, or you have so many things to do that you just can’t manage it. But if you can, try to get outside for at least ten minutes each day. 

Being in the sunshine is great for your vitamin d levels, and also makes for happier, healthier humans. That’s right, not just children, but adults too! 

I’ve found that both my son and I are calmer throughout the day if we can get outside. Some ways to incorporate outside time could be:

• Sitting on your front porch
• Going for a walk
• Digging in the garden
• Digging in a sandbox
• Playing backyard soccer
• Riding bikes
• Hiking
• Splashing in rain puddles
• Playing in the snow
• Incorporating water play
• Looking for cool rocks
• Washing the dog
• Going to the playground
• Exploring a park 

Do Something for Yourself Each Day

This could be making a special coffee each morning or finding time to work out. You could try a new hobby or make yourself a smoothie. It could mean getting dressed and going your hair each day instead of throwing on an old t-shirt and leggings. You could paint your toes or try another form of self care, as long as you’re doing purely for yourself and no one else. 

I am a BIG believer in active self care for any mom, but especially stay at home moms. It can be so easy to lose yourself in motherhood and taking care of yourself is such as easy way to avoid that. 

Find Solitude Each Day

Even if it is simply showering uninterrupted, make sure you give yourself alone time. My favorite time for alone time is during my son’s nap. I even wrote a post on why I think you shouldn’t clean during nap time! 

I know this won’t last forever, so I make sure to enjoy it while I can. I have a whole ritual of sitting on the couch, drinking hot tea and writing (I’m doing it right now!). It is a small habit that allows me to combat the stresses of everyday life. Find a time that works for you, even if it is a different time each day. 

Communicate Your Needs

If you are constantly bottling up the things that bother you, you’ll eventually explode, and most likely in a negative way. Be sure to ask for help when you need it. Your partner may not know what you need, so be sure to communicate. 

Remember to Have Fun With Your Child

Sometimes, I can get so caught up in all the things I ‘have to get done’ that I forget to actually enjoy my time with my son. I mean, that’s the whole point of me staying home with him, right? So sometimes I have to take a step back, put the chores aside for a bit, and go build a tower or paint a picture or play outside with my son. Doing so usually gives me the mental clarity to tackle what needs to be done without getting overwhelmed. 

Start Your Mornings Off Right

I don’t know about you, but when I’m abruptly woken up or have to rush to get out the door, my days usually don’t go as smoothly. Now, we’re all going to have those days where we wake in a panic because we heard our baby crying or throwing up or whatever. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about setting yourself up for success. 

If you know you need 9 hours of solid sleep to not be grouchy, stop doom scrolling and go to sleep. If you need 20 minutes to get some coffee and really wake up before taking on a violently chipper toddler, set your alarm for 20 minutes earlier and give yourself the ability to be the best version of yourself. 

If you know you need a full breakfast in order to not crash by 10:30, sit down and eat with your kids instead of grabbing a piece of toast and starting on your to-do list. My point is, give yourself the tools to reduce stress in your everyday life. Don’t be your own worst enemy. I’ve got a great post on morning routines for stay at home moms that talks about this very thing.

Create a Reliable Routine

When you know what to expect from your day, you can reduce the amount of stress in your day to day life. Create a daily routine for your toddler to ease transitions. Make a schedule that works for you, instead of against you. You can also check out the evening routine I use as a stay at home mom. 

Just because a routine works for one person, doesn’t mean it will work for you. A mom of five school aged children is not going to need the same schedule as a mom of newborn twins. 

Don’t Over Pack Your Schedule

You can relieve stress as a stay at home moms by not trying to do it all. Give yourself expectations for how much you get done each day and don’t allow yourself to feel guilty for what you didn’t get done. 

Besides, anything you didn’t get to can mostly likely be done the next day with little disruption to your schedule.

Create a Low Stress Home

By decluttering and sticking with an easy to follow cleaning schedule, your stress levels are sure to go down. Your home should be a calming and inviting space that you want to be in. Check out my favorite ways to organize your home below.

• Declutter Without Getting Overwhelmed
• Deep Cleaning Guide
• Organize Your Vehicle 

Have Extended Time to Yourself

I mentioned above that it is important to find solitude for a few minutes each day. Relieve stress on a regular basis by having time to yourself. You might use this time to get a pedicure or go to the movies, or peruse the aisles at TJ MAXX.

Whatever the solo activity is, make sure you’re able to have some time to yourself at least once a month. Every two weeks is preferable in my opinion. Talk to you husband and make sure you are getting what you need in order to relieve stress as a stay at home mom. 

Move Your Body

I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but I do not care! Moving your body is so important to living a happy, healthy, low-stress life! And if it takes a friendly blogger to help you realize that, so be it! Okay. I’ll settle down with the exclamation points now.

Even if you can only manage devoting twenty minutes a day to moving your body, that’s over an hour and a half each week! I’ve got a post on how to sneak in a workout with toddlers if you’re interested.

Try the gym or aerial silks or belly dancing. Exercise is (in my opinion) the number one way to relieve stress as a stay at home mom. Move your body; you won’t regret it.

Find a Community

While your husband is likely in the trenches with you in some ways, in others he may just not get it. Finding other moms who are in a similar boat can help you feel seen, heard, understood. By creating a community of moms, you’re more likely to reduce your stress levels.

You can check me out on Pinterest or subscribe to my weekly emails to hear from someone online who gets what you’re going through. 

Some other ways to connect with other moms are:

• Join a gym, yoga class, softball league, etc…
• Get a library card. Most libraries have some sort of Toddler Time, whether it be story time, arts and crafts, or something else. 
• Go to the park. You know who else goes to the park? Other moms.
• Check locally for mom’s day out groups.
• Join a community center or church in your area. I’ve met some lovely moms at my church, and it has been great to see my son interact with their children.

Stay at home moms have a unique set of challenges and stressors that can impact the way they work. Unfortunately, their work is their children and home. Which means it affects the people they love the most, making it so important to find outlets for those challenges. 

By relieving stress as a stay at home mom, you can give your family and yourself the gift of a calm, loving environment. What are your favorite ways to relieve stress? Let me know in the comments below. You can also check out my Instagram page to find weekly hacks for cleaning, decluttering, mom life, and more!