7 Musts for the Worn-out Mom

Feel stressed out as a mom? Here are seven ways to counter that worn-out feeling:

1. Acknowledge that you want to make some changes. Then decide that you are willing to be intentional about making those changes. This is the first and most important step.

2. Take a time and activity inventory. Look at your calendar and schedule. See what you or your children do regularly and ask yourself, Do I or does someone else in our family truly enjoy this? Prioritize the activities. What are your top three, the ones hat are important and are making a difference in your life or theirs? Which are helping them grow? What are you doing that only you can do? What are you doing that someone else could do? Who can you delegate some or all of these last ones to?

3. Cut! Eliminate at least one or two of the activities at the bottom of your list, the ones that you are willing to cut to gain more nothing time for the family or more just for me time. Schedule at least one regular afternoon or evening a week for doing nothing at home. Protect that time wisely. Dont cut out all the just for me time either.

4. Make time for fun. Fun lightens your load, so lighten up and give yourself permission to have fun, even in the midst of doing other stuff. Dinner can wait. Christmas cards can arrive around New Years Day. Weeds can grow in the garden for another day. The answering machine can catch the phone. Have fun in your own style, but dont miss out on the fun all around you.

5. Check your traditions. Have you outgrown some? Can you trade an old one for a new one? Are you having an annual Fourth of July party that depletes you and keeps you from doing other important family activities? Do you go to the same place every Labor Day that has gotten to be more trouble than it is worth? Are you part of a lunch bunch that has outgrown its original purpose? Check your traditions.

6. Choose wisely. Never say yes right away to a request that demands an ongoing commitment. Take some time to think about the request and what it will mean in your schedule. Dont add a new activity without taking out an old one. Pick the best. Say no to the rest.

7. Review activities every season. Now that you have cleaned your calendar, commit to reviewing your activities regularly. Just as you clean your closet, your calendar needs a regular review.

Taken from the book Real Moms by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendally. Used by permission of New Life Ministries. New Life Ministries has a variety of resources on men, women and relationships. Visit www.newlife.com.