Ladies, this topic is a big one! I’ve been working on this for some time and waiting on God’s leading on how and what to share. It’s honestly not how I’ve functioned most of my “mom” life, but I wish I had.
Excited that it’s ready to go, and I pray it can give you some peace in your mom life!! It’s a process for sure, but one that is well worth it.
1. No Jesus, no peace; Know Jesus, know peace.
I cannot take credit for this saying, but man is it true. Life is tough at times. And it’s great at times. There can be both bad and good crazy in your life. Yet the older I get, the more I realize that only through Jesus can there be true peace. The Bible even tells us.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
If you don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus, I encourage you to start one. Not sure where to begin? Here are some resources for you. They are helpful even if you are a Christ follower. Yet having someone walk this with you is best, so please reach out to me or another trusted person, and find a church in your area. I listed the site to mine, if you happen to be in the Phoenix area.
There is some amazing music out there, and music can reach a soul like no other. Here are just a few ideas to search. I’m also a huge fan of KLOVE Radio.
- Lauren Daigle-Peace Be Still
- Katy Nichole- In Jesus Name
- Tremble- Mosaic MSC
2. Be a Mindful Mom
Get outta your head girl and stop that stinkin’ thinkin’!
Women spend a lot of time thinking, and overthinking things. You and your whole family will benefit if you can fight the “head” game. Here are some things that have helped me.
I learned about Breathing Room from a devotional book by Sandra Stanley. It’s all about creating margin in our time, our relationships, and our finances. Instead of living at our limit, or breaking point in these areas, allow space for the unexpected good and not so good. The unexpected time with your husband, the extra opportunity to cuddle with your kiddo, the medical or car expense you didn’t see coming, the emergency with a family member. When we have Breathing Room in these areas, we are less likely to lose our minds (like with the major car expense, for example) or really be able to enjoy ourselves, as with extra time with our husband, without constant distractions of feeling under the gun to get X,Y, and Z done now. This ability to be truly present does not come easy to most moms. We naturally don’t turn our minds off to all we have going on and are keeping track of for our family. But Breathing Room sure helps!! We can take a minute to focus on the now and leave the rest until later.
https://www.breathingroom.org/
Try some self-coaching. Did you just sigh or eye roll? I get it, yet hear me out. I really like The Model, by Brooke Castillo. She offers a format that allows you to work through unintentional thoughts about circumstances and your feelings about them. This can be done quickly and can really help get out of your head. So eye opening!
Self Coaching Model
3. Get a Schedule
Like actually work out a schedule either on the phone/computer, or good old fashioned paper. Be intentional. Get your “big rocks” on there, events that are constant with set times, then fill in with extras. And here’s the key- DO NOT fill every second!! Go back to the section in #2 on Breathing Room.
After going through Breathing Room, you have hopefully cut out any activities or things taking your time that you need to let go for a time, or forever.
I personally created a calendar from the time I drop the kids off at school, until the time I pick them up. After they are home, there are usually just some big rock things that I have to have down, but I have no say on day or time. The rest is just devoted to our evening routine of homework, dinner, and prepping for the next day.
Build in time for exercising, running errands, seeing friends, cleaning, and quiet time. I’ll attach both my weekday and cleaning resource below. Feel free to email me for an excel version that you can tweak to your needs.
Here is a shareable doc with just the 3 Ways listed for you to pass on to a friend. Don’t forget to keep one for yourself! Print, cut, and place in areas you spend most of your time.
Embrace Life!