In today's reality, more and more women feel the need to help their spouse in order to achieve financial stability. Be it 9 to 5 or working remotely, these working mothers easily feel overwhelmed and stressed out due to the demanding career and the responsibilities of raising children. These are some ways to cope and cultivate the right mindset:
1. Plan ahead
By anticipating upcoming tasks and events, you can create a schedule that allows you to prioritize and allocate your time effectively. This can include scheduling doctor appointments, setting reminders for urgent deadlines or meals planning. By this proactive approach, you can reduce stress and prepare the necessary things.
2. Practice self-care
One word that is very synonymous with motherhood is sacrifice. But really, you have to take care of your well-being as a whole in order to take care of others. Lack of self care will eventually throw you down the rabbit hole, encouraging burnout or exhaustion that will take a toll on your mental health. Ditch the mom guilt and go get yourself a coffee, exercise, get enough sleep and indulge in some me time. By taking care of yourself, you can improve your mood and increase your energy level, which ultimately help you to manage your work and family better.
3. Teaming Up
Teaming up with your spouse and kids is a great way to share the household chores and family responsibilities more efficiently. By working together, you can delegate tasks and share the burden of household and caregiving responsibilities.
There are various apps that you can use to list, delegate and assign tasks to your family members like ToDy. You can oversee the progress of each task and reduce your invisible load of keeping track of what needs to be done. This fosters a sense of teamwork, cooperation within the family and also teaches your kids to be responsible.
As a working mom, creating The Nurts Card Game required me to work whenever I had time, which meant whenever the kids were sleeping or in school. Leveraging on various people from my husband who helped set up my ads to my toddlers who packed the parcels definitely made it an enjoyable experience.
4. Setting Boundaries
Setting work boundaries is a good way for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This includes establishing clear limits on when or how you will work, with your employer and colleagues, in order to prevent work from intruding on your personal and family time. It boosts efficiency and effectiveness in your work, which can lead to greater job satisfaction and career advancement. By setting work boundaries, you are also modeling healthy work habits for your children, which will help them understand the importance of work-life balance and time management.
5. Seek support
Seeking support and connecting with other working mothers in the same shoes can provide a sense of community and help to reduce the feeling of isolation. Sharing experiences, challenges, and exchanging advice with other mothers can be helpful in navigating the challenging roads of motherhood. Ultimately, seeking support is not a sign of weakness, but rather a smart strategy to achieve success both at work and at home.
In short, managing work and family as a working mother can be challenging, but with the right strategies and support, it is possible to achieve a healthy work-life balance. By implementing these tips, you can successfully manage both your career and family without losing yourself.
References:
- https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/11/04/raising-kids-and-running-a-household-how-working-parents-share-the-load/
- https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-be-a-working-mom
- https://www.nytimes.com/guides/working-womans-handbook/how-to-be-a-working-mom
- https://www.verywellfamily.com/finding-balance-as-a-working-mom-4780377