Hey!
I am going to say that moms are one of the busiest people walking this earth! It is so many challenges that us moms faces daily trying to balance her family and her mental health. I can personally tell you that some days are a lot more crazy than others, but the numerous challenges that we face can be draining and very much overwhelming. This is why as moms we have to make the time to care for ourselves… its NOT SELFISH at all, it is beneficial for the whole family.
I wanted to write this post to talk about a mothers mental health and how we have to prioritize keeping ourselves healthy and able to take care of our beautiful children!
Mental Impacts on Moms
A mothers mental health is a large piece of her well being. Our mental health as moms can affect emotional, social, and physical health as well. If you ever need to talk to a trained counselor confidentially it’s available through call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262)
https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline
Emotional aspects like anxiety and depression leads to greater levels of stress which in turn causes moms to not be able to operate and function at a level that is ideal in order to enjoy our children and take care of our responsibilities on a daily bases. A big factor to me is the mishaps and setbacks that seem to be huge stumbling blocks that are hard to recover from emotional. It can be so exhausting and depressing to fight your way back to being at a level that is “normal”. Emotional exhaustion is the worse feeling and can cause real damage and make the recover and ability to cope with it all a task that some may think take no time and no effort, but in actuality it is a fight and sometimes can feel like you are fighting for your life and sanity.
Social aspects can also be a drain on the mental health of a mom. When a mom starts to isolate herself from not just friends but family too that is a nod to her mental health being off balance in the time. That is a bad feeling to have and me personally have gone through that and once I got to a healthy mindset I looked back and realized how much a person needs that feeling of being connected and supported through that moment. This can strain relationships both family and friends because you don’t feel like communicating or socializing.
Physical aspects are horrible. Sleep disruptions is one of those problems that spill over into or make bigger problems. Sleep disturbances can cause fatigue and low energy levels cause of the lack of sleep or the amount of restless sleep that occurs, When I tell you that I UNDERSTAND this part whole-heartly I mean it. I slept on a mattress topper without the mattress for YEARS. That is a long story for another day and post 🙂
Your body will start to exhibit somatic symptoms (dealing with the body) causing pain, headaches and even digestive issues. A weakened immune system can result from not so good mental health as well. It is so much to lose when you have poor mental health its so sad to me when i think about it all. Its not just moms that suffer these struggles, its any and everybody.
Another source for help is 988 its a suicide and crisis lifeline that is 24/7 free and confidential calling or texting to 988.
Indicators That You Need Some Self-Care
Physical symptoms can be those sleep issues we talked about earlier and in addition to that falling asleep, staying asleep partnered with the restlessness that leaves us feeling fatigued and just down. Exhaustion/ Fatigue is a tell-tell sign that you need to give yourself some personal time to care for you! When you feel like you had no sleep even though you slept a adequate amount of time.
Appetite changes is a physical one that I think we all can relate to in one form of it rather it overeating, eating to comfort oneself or even undereating can be a form of bad eating that we do when we stressed.
Emotional symptoms can be that anxiety we mentioned , irritability, mood swings, sadness, and feeling overwhelmed. We usually can see these when just the smallest issues rise and we find ourselves on 100 and ready to lose it fast. Some of these feelings can occur even when we think we are okay, but that meltdown in the quiet car reminded us that we are not okay as we may have thought we were. Being emotionally drained can led to feeling numb and detached.
Behavioral symptoms could be withdrawal, drinking too much alcohol, neglecting basic needs, and not interested in doing activities. Withdrawal is anytime you rather be by yourself then to socialize with others and that can get unhealthy. When we start to ignore personal hygiene, food choices, and our daily duties that is a great indicator that we are needing to give ourselves some self-care. Lack of motivation and procrastination go hand in hand in my personal opinion and that can be very very bad for mental health.
Check out my other post about self-care! Self-care
Boundaries For Greater Mental Health
As moms we tend to want to do everything for everyone else when we barely care for ourselves. We have to learn to say no and stop trying to carry the entire load on our backs all the time. The expectations that family puts on us are often the expectations that we try to meet, and that fear of disappointing others is why we struggle to say no to our children and anyone else we are trying to help. We just try to make everyone happy and to make it easier for someone else all the while neglecting our selves without a second thought.
Delegating responsibilities to your significant other, an older child, or a family member, it is OKAY to do that! You can not feel bad for wanting to take a quick rest break or a nap to give yourself a quick reset. I know speaking from experience, sometimes just asking for the help is a task. It is not a task because you’re proud, but because now you feel like you’re bothering someone else to do what you are very much capable of doing yourself. We have to learn to delegate without feeling bad about it.
Mom Guilt
Mom guilt is a bad feeling that I have experienced in the past and still experience to this very day. Mom guilt is when we feel like we have to prioritize everyone else’s needs before we can even worry about our own. That is where we go wrong. That thinking is exactly why we burn out, stress out, get anxious, and start to lose our sense of control over our well being. We need self-care to help us maintain balance and our overall well-being.
SELF-CARE IS NOT SELFISH…….. KEEP SAYING THAT TO REMIND YOURSELF!!II
If you have to focus on a smaller self-care technique, ritual, or commitment, that is great too. You can always build upon that and make it better over time! Just making time for it and making it a priority is the important part not the time spent doing it or how big of a idea it is.
Please feel free to share ideas, experiences, questions, or comments on the post!
“NUTURE YOURSELF, NUTURE YOUR FAMILY AND THRIVE TOGETHER”!!!!! – Monique
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