Too much stress both from work and home can lead to too much fatigue and strain on a mom and lead to burnout. Leading a proper work-life balance and adequate self-care is very essential for a working mom to both prevent and recover from fatigue and burnout.
Ensure you create a healthy routine that incorporates self care. Others include setting work boundaries, getting adequate sleep, good nutrition, exercise and pursuing your hobbies.
Burnout among Working Moms
Burnout is a situation where one reaches a point of being overwhelmed and exhausted as a result of constant pressure that goes on for a long period. It is often linked to work-related pressure which can be physical, emotional, or mental. Also it can come home pressures and demands that have not been adequately handled.
Working moms handle a lot physically emotionally or mentally as they juggle between motherhood/family life and work. There are too many work demands/pressures and family expectations to be handled that eventually becomes overwhelming.
Healthy Rountine to Avoid/Recover from Burnout
Step 1: Prioritize Self Care to Avoid/Recover Burnout
A self-care plan is very critical in creating a healthy routine, especially after you have got burned out and is recovering from it. It is intended to help you balance your life by incorporating ways of caring for your body, mind, and soul.
It includes a balanced work-life that is tailored for your physical, work, social, and personal life goals and needs. The events and activities are all geared towards giving you an all-around approach to your wellness.
Read: A Detailed Guide on How to Create a Self-Care Plan
Step 2: Set Work Boundaries
For most working moms, the main reason for burnout is too much workload, which can be a result of you taking in too much work. It is hence very important to avoid going back into a situation of burnout, especially from work-related stress.
Some work boundaries to avoid overwhelming yourself includes;
- Stick to your job description and scope of your role – identify your prioritizes
- Stop taking extra work/helping out if you can’t handle it- Learn to say no
- Delegate extra work/when necessary
- Maintain work and home hours- avoid handling work while at home
- Set SMART personal goals/objectives and timeline
Read here How to Set Boundaries at Work
Step 3: Get Adequate Sleep
To avoid fatigue and burn out, you need to get adequate sleep. Doctors recommend at least 8 hours of sleep. Ensure that you have quality and enough sleep everyday.
Try creating a bedtime routine to relax your body and mind to prepare your body to sleep. You may start with a nice soothing shower right before bed. Further, you can listen to some nice music, light a candle, read a novel, or do anything else that helps you relax and fall asleep easily.
Step 4: East Right and Exercise
Both good eating habits and an exercise schedule are integral to your healthy routine as a working mom.Good nutrition and exercise can never be overemphasized for overall good health. They are very important as a good diet nourishes and gives you the right nutrients for your body. On the other hand avoid excessive indulgences in drinking and other substances.
Further, you need to stay in shape. Exercise is not only good for your body but your mind as well. It improves your mental status, promotes better sleep, and is also fun. A regular exercise schedule works best as it integrates a work out discipline.
Step 5: Pursue your Favorite Hobby
It should not be all work without play. You need something extra in your life other than work and as such hobbies are great to a working mom’s work-life balance. Therefore consider pursuing a new hobby or rekindling an old one to create a healthy routine that helps your avoid getting burnt-out.
The hobby may involve an extra skill that you are developing and this takes the pressure off from your work mindset. Some hobbies to look into as a working mom include;
- Gardening
- Community work volunteering
- Horse riding
- Drawing and painting
- Cooking
- Knitting
Read: Simple and Practical Hobbies for Working Moms
Tips for a Healthy Work Rountine
- Connect with your Younger Self– Do all that you loved doing as a child.
- Connect with your Loved Ones– Deeply connect and share with those that love and care for you. Cut out toxic company.
- Connect with Nature– Some serene silence can do a lot of good to a burnout mom. Make a point of going on a nature walk, fishing, etc once in a while and savor the silence.
- Talk to a Therapist– Off-loading and distressing are important for a healthy routine. Have regular therapy sessions before it becomes too overwhelming to avoid burnout.
- Quit your Stressful Job– If your job is quite really the stressor, you need to make that decision and quit. Sometimes working in a toxic environment will keep making your situation harder. A new job and an environment will make all the difference to your work-life balance. Target jobs and employers that are mom-friendly.
- Take a Vacation – Some time off will do you good. Plan a vacation, take time off and just relax.
- Become your Own Motivator- You are your own cheerleader. Keep cheering yourself on to improve and do better every day. It is normal to feel demotivated sometimes, but have that energy to bounce right back.
- Be Patient and Kind to yourself– It takes time to build your energy up after burnout, especially if you’re still working while you’re healing. Be kind to yourself during this time.
- Give up Old Habits-You need to let go of that which limits you in order to keep burn out at bay. You may not be able to make good progress if you are still clinging to some bad old habits. Some habits to let go of includes abusive drinking, poor eating habits, bad company, and too much screen time among others.
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