Becoming a mother is one of the most stressful, albeit wonderful, things that will ever happen to you. A tiny little person will enter your world and turn it upside down. Please realize that everything has changed – this takes acceptance, understanding, and patience (with yourself!). Preparing yourself for your new life and everything that is about to change is key to managing your stress as a new mom, This is very important because stress can and will quickly mount when you step into your new role. Read on for a few of the key things that you might find useful to remember when that baby arrives!
1. Understand what the main changes are and how your priorities have changed
Everything will change because of motherhood, and this might not even be something that you notice until your baby is suddenly two years old! The most important thing to remember is that you’ll have a lot of new memories and experiences to appreciate. Becoming a mother is the greatest gift, but this doesn’t make it any easier or any less of a challenge. Managing your stress as a new mom means that you realize that:
- your body will change,
- your intimate relationship will change, and
- your social life and time to spend on leisurely activities will begin to take a back seat.
It’s safe to say that you’ll no longer be the most important person in your life, but remember to award yourself a very close second place. Your concerns will revolve around your new baby, however, don’t forget about yourself! You need to love yourself in order to love those around you and allow yourself some time out in order to become the best mother that you can be.
Motherhood is unarguably the most important milestone to teach you about time management and to become more proactive in your days – and actually, becoming a parent can be one of the best ways to find your path and develop into the best version of yourself!
♦ Struggling to understand what the main changes will be as a new mom? Working with a professional life coach will help you clarify your priorities in this new role. Book a session with me today and let’s get moving towards your best self today!
2. Be clear on how you are going to manage your new life
In the beginning, you’ll need to allow yourself lots of time to adapt. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with visitors, and feel free to put a two-week ban on anybody but immediate family visiting you and the new baby. As amazing as it is to see everybody’s reaction to your newborn, visitors are exhausting when you’re a new mom – you already have to worry about cleaning, cooking, feeding, diaper changes, laundry, and sleeping…let alone making hot drinks for people and being conversational!! With that in mind, know that managing stress for a new mom means making the decision to limit too much visitation from guests.
Managing stress as a new mom also means that you know when to ask and say yes to assistance. Say yes every time that somebody offers to do something for you, the smallest helping hand can make a big difference to your day.
Take time out for yourself to indulge in some self-care activities. Whether that be postnatal yoga, scrapbooking, journaling or writing a blog, assign 30 minutes to 1 hour per day to yourself and don’t feel bad about it. Now is also the time to appreciate your partner and the help that they offer you–don’t forget that they are experiencing the same changes of becoming a parent that you are and that they’ll love to hear that you still appreciate and have time for them.
One piece of crucial advice for managing stress as a new mom is to remember to get rest. Sleep when your baby sleeps, or ask somebody to keep them for an hour while you take a nap. A lack of sleep is going to be detrimental to how you function in your new life and only make you feel trapped and emotional. So sleep as often as you can, the dishes can wait.
When you do have a little time to be productive, or when the baby is happy and comfortable in the baby carrier, it’s handy to have a to-do list ready. Write one the night before or during those night wakings with your newborn, and rank each job in its importance – that way, when you find 5 spare minutes, you’ll know exactly what you can do to help lighten your own load and make you feel a bit more accomplished.
♦ Does the thought of managing your new life have you wanting you to pull your hair out? Then book a session with me today to discuss effective life, stress, and time management strategies that fit your life!
3. Build a tribe around you for support
Your tribe is the most important thing as a new mom. Build yourself a support network of family and friends that you know you can always rely on. This means for emotional support and helps with the baby. These are the people you can count on to bring you a hot meal or go for a coffee and a chat. The people that love you want to help!
Managing stress as a new mom can also come in the form of joining an antenatal group. This is a great way to meet other new mothers who are going through the same experiences as you. Talk to any other mothers that you know, even if they’re not new to motherhood anymore, I can guarantee that they will always be happy to share their own wisdom and knowledge. You’ll likely go into motherhood knowing absolutely nothing, and that can be a terrifying realization. But the best part is that you’ll learn and find your own way every day. Trust the people around you to help, and never undervalue yourself.
♦ Clueless about who your support system should be? Working with a professional coach can help get clear on who your friends, acquaintances, and associates are in your life. Book a session with me today so you can begin building your perfect tribe of support.
Conclusion
The three things that you need to do in order to effectively manage stress as a new mom include:
- Understand what the main changes are and how your priorities have changed
- Be clear on how you are going to manage your new life
- Build a tribe around you for support
Take some time to figure out what you works for you when it comes to managing your stress as a new mom. Just remember that you are not alone and you have alot more support than you realize in this new chapter of your life!
So what are some of the ways that you are (or you have) effectively managed stress as new mom? Comment below!
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Other blog posts of interest:
♦ 3 Steps to Getting Unstuck
♦ Overcoming Self-Sabotage: 3 Steps to Take Today
♦ The Secret To Creating A Lasting Morning Workout Routine
♦ What to Expect: When Working With A Professional Life Coach
♦ 5 Ways Self-Sabotage Is Stopping You From Reaching Your Goals
