Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Let’s face it – everyone gets stuck in a rut at some stage in their life and it can be a bit of a struggle to get out of it. There may have been a traumatic incident or challenging period of time that pushed you into a rut or it may just be that your everyday life is becoming mundane, repetitive and uninspiring. And let’s face it being a mom is challenging – the endless nappy changes, lack of sleep, packing of school lunches and bags, dealing with countless toddler tantrums and more!
You may feel helpless and stuck but there are many ways to improve how you are feeling and get unstuck.
Chances are high that you won’t want to make any big changes, and the truth is that trying to make big changes is not always going to be helpful or sustainable. It is so much easier to implement small lifestyle changes that over time make a big impact. As the saying goes you eat an elephant one small bite at a time.
Change can also be very scary and often when you are in a rut you may be waiting for something external to change but the truth is that change comes from within us, it doesn’t just happen.
Here are some small lifestyle changes that will make a big difference:
Take A Daily Walk
Walking is so good for you and offers many health benefits – both physical and mental. If you are trying to figure out how to relieve stress and anxiety you just must start going for a regular brisk walk. It will increase your endorphins which in turn can relieve stress and alleviate depression. Regular walking can improve your self esteem and boost your mood.
Positive Affirmations
If you have never done positive affirmations you will be surprised at how beautifully they work. We so easily slip into negative self talk and hold onto limiting beliefs that do us no favors.
Spend some time reflecting on how you speak to yourself. What are the things that you say to yourself that are holding you back? Make a list of those things and come up with some positive affirmations to say out loud to yourself every day. You may feel silly doing this and feel that it won’t make a change in your life, but give it a chance and see how powerful it can be.
Here are some examples of positive affirmations you can do if you are struggling to come up with your own:
- Today I am ready for positive change
- Today I can accomplish my goals
- I am worthy of wonderful things
- I have the tools I need for success
Remember to use words like “I can”, “I am” and “I have” in your positive affirmations.
Simplify and Declutter Your Life
Having clutter in your life can make everything seem very overwhelming. The more simple and tidy your life is the more you will feel able to cope with your life.
Start with clearing out some things in your home that you never use. Have a garage sale to get rid of things that you no longer need or you can donate them to charity. Yes clearing clutter out of your home may feel completely unrelated to the things that you are struggling with, but you will be amazed at how much it boosts your mental health.
The less clutter you have in your home the less work it will be to keep your home clean and tidy.
Keep things simple and try not to keep your schedule simple and manageable.
Get Into A Routine
Having a daily routine is very beneficial for your mental health and for keeping organized. Make sure to make time for exercise, healthy eating, meditation and self-care.
Starting your day right with healthy food and exercise will boost your mood and your energy levels which will help you to tick items off your to do list and conquer your goals.
Meditation
Just like you need to declutter and simplify your life you also need to declutter your mind. Meditation has many benefits including, but note limited to, reducing stress and anxiety, increased self awareness and improved sleep.
If you have not meditated before you may feel intimidated and not know where or how to start. There are some amazing guided meditations available online for free that you can follow to get started.
If you have limited time available in your day don’t let that stop you, just a few minutes of daily meditation will be highly beneficial.
Consider Counseling or Life Coaching
Services like counseling and life coaching can be excellent tools for personal growth and reaching your goals. If you are feeling stuck and you feel that the task at hand is too much for you to achieve on your own finding a life coach or a counselor is an excellent idea. There is nothing wrong with asking for help and guidance.
I agree with all these points wholeheartedly. We as moms tend to almost reach burnout stage and not say anything to anyone.We are so emotionally, physically and mentally drained we cannot see anything positive in our lives. It’s important to ask for help if you are not coping or if you want some time for yourself. I feel that this also goes a long way in getting yourself out of the overwhelming rut. Another point I would like to add is taking a step back from screens (cellphones, tablets computers) even if just for a few hours a day will be extremely beneficial to our state of mind and wellbeing. Social media although it can be used for good can have a negative influences on us and make us feel lesser than the next person who looks like they have everything going for them. We need to stop looking at them and emulating them and start looking within ourselves to learn what we want and need out of life.
Great addition there with the screentime @nikki1 – I couldn’t agree with you more that having some screen free time is great for your mental health.