April is Stress Awareness Month. I don’t know about you, but I am pretty aware of my stress!
I have a toddler who has just begun to discover she can topple furniture on herself and play with the stove dials. I’ve got a 40-hour-a-week job. I try to be active, eat healthy, and cook my own meals. And I want to have time for my family and friends. I also like to sleep.
I am very aware of my stress.
We all have many stressors in our lives. Our bodies are programmed with a fight-or-flight response, which, when our ancestors were faced with a sabertooth tiger, was a great response since it kept us alive. Nowadays, people who are under stress, and especially chronic stress, feel a lot of its ill effects, ranging from worry and anxiety to weakened immune systems and heart problems.
Americans are super stressed — we must be if we have a whole month devoted to it! So, how do we alleviate this stress? There are countless tips and tricks all over the internet, but it doesn’t need to be complicated! As a mom, I’ve realized we all need to S.L.E.E.P. No, not sleep — although that helps, too! S.L.E.E.P. is my handy acronym to remind myself just what I need to focus on each day to keep my stress at bay.
S.L.E.E.P.
S: Set aside time for YOU!
The second I became a mom and looked into my baby’s eyes, my self-sacrifice dial shot through the roof. I’ve given of myself to others at various times in my life, but not in the way I do with my baby. New moms, especially, listen to me: You need time for you!
The first time I left my daughter to go for a walk, I felt like I was neglecting her. Yes, my husband was watching her, but it wasn’t me. Guess what? She survived. And I felt a million times better.
It is so important for parents to have times reserved for activities they enjoy, whether it’s going for a walk, meditating, coloring in an adult coloring book, or going out for girls night.
L: Let it go!
Your toddler had a meltdown at Target for everyone to see? You didn’t get around to cleaning the house today because your daughter decided to empty the drawers of clothes? Guess what? It’s OK!
Most things that seem like a big deal in the moment really aren’t. When faced with a situation that you’re stressing about, ask yourself: Will it matter in five hours? Five months? Five years? The answer is probably no. And if the answer is yes, ask yourself: Do I have control to change the situation? If so, great — focus your energy there. If not, the worry will not help.
When it comes to the daily household tasks, I’ve learned that I’m not going to get it all done, and that’s OK. I will take extra snuggles with my daughter over one more load of laundry any day.
E: Exercise!
Physical activity has a number of benefits ranging from boosting energy to disease prevention and stress relief. Some moms I know do mom and baby yoga or “stroller strides.” When my daughter was born in the winter, I bundled her up and did laps upon laps of mall walking. When the weather got better, we went for walks outside and enjoyed the fresh air as an added bonus. At six weeks postpartum I was psyched to be able to get back to the gym. Now, at work, I make sure to go for walks on my lunch hour to help me get in my daily steps.
E: Eat! and Eat Well!
I’ve heard from so many new moms about how they have no time to eat between diaper changes, feedings, laundry, and more. Guess what? You’re no good to anyone if you’re no good to yourself, and that involves making sure you eat and drink enough.
You expend a lot of energy taking care of your children. Consider that a nursing mother needs to consume an additional 300-500 calories a day and her breastmilk is 80% water. This means food is super important, and not just any food — good quality food. Try to eat a well-balanced diet, with healthy fats, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
See food as fuel and don’t get sucked in to any pressure to get back to your pre-pregnancy body. You had a baby! That is amazing! Be proud of that body!
P: Plan your week ahead!
I cannot stress how important this is. Whether you’re looking ahead at the week’s appointments, meals, work deadlines, or kids events, everyone is better off when you plan ahead. I think through a loose plan of what meals we will have on which days, and I write my grocery list accordingly. My husband and I talk on Sunday about what the week’s evenings will look like. Who’s going out which night? When are we each going to the gym? Who’s cooking which dinner? I find that having this predictability helps avoid those, “It’s 6 p.m. and I have no idea what’s for dinner tonight!” moments. It also helps make setting aside time for ourselves a reality for both my husband and me.
