7 Insanely Useful Stress Busters for New Moms

"Just thinking of having a baby is stressful. How stressful would it be for real?"

Now, you have a baby and you love your family. But, you find yourself often wondering where the day has gone? In the mad rush to take care of the kids, the hours all blur together.

Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a high-powered executive mother, or somewhere in the middle, your life is bound to have stressful moments. 

"70% of U.S. mothers say that mothering is incredibly stressful."

"96% believe that they are far more stressed than their own mothers were."

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The fact is, the shoulders of today's mother are heavy, loaded down with financial responsibilities, family obligations, thoughts of how best to protect little ones from the perils of the world and much, much more.

With all these worries, finding some ZEN can be a real challenge.

Learning to manage stress is, however, an essential part of parenting. Stress affects maternal health, which in turns affects the child and family. In addition, how a mother manages stress is often a model for the rest of the family.

So, here I give you my tried and tested ways of bursting the stress bubble:

1. Know your stressors

Oftentimes when we get in stressful situations, we notice our blood pressure rising, our heart rate going up, we might feel our chest pounding or even getting a little dizzy. Take notice when feeling these physical signs or when you mood changes – your body is trying to tell you something.

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Imagine, if it makes us feel this way, how do our kids feel when we react this way to them, and they're the innocent bystanders, and we're just reacting to our stress.

2. Keep your friends close

When you haven’t slept more than a two-hour stretch in weeks and you’ve been wearing the same sweatpants for four days, it’s easy to decide that being a hermit is much easier than facing the outside world.

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DO NOT cancel that coffee date – you’ll feel a billion times better once you’re away from the pile of laundry and having a laugh with your friend.

3. Exercise 

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I am this one is old-school, but there is a reason it is there on every list. I know how hard it can feel to do any exercise at this stage, but even a short walk or 10 minutes of body-weight exercises in your living room will get those feel-good endorphins flowing and make you feel proud of yourself for doing it

 4. Rekindle your relationship with yourself

As your children start to get older and more independent, you should have a little more time for you. One way to use this time is by finding your favorite hobby. Your hobby can be inside the home (such as baking or painting) or outside the home (like book club, mountain biking or dancing).

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My husband started an amazing vegetable garden and food forest as a way to get away from the kids without leaving the house – and now he feeds the family with his hobby!

5. Say "NO"

Another way to reduce stress is to politely decline invitations to social engagements and school committees. If you’re usually a “yes mom”, this will take some practice. Try, “Thank you so much for thinking of me. I would love to, but we have been extremely busy recently and we need some downtime. Maybe next time!”

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6. Feel no shame in getting help

If you feel like you can’t stay on top of everything that needs to be done each day (and your finances allow), consider hiring some part-time help. It could be a housekeeper who comes every two weeks, a nanny who gives you a hand with the kids a day or two a week, or a live-in au pair who helps you with the children and the housework in exchange for room and board and some pocket money. A little help can go a long way in saving your sanity.

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7. Breathe and Mediate

Although I’d wanted to take up meditation for years, it took the stress of dealing with three very young children to finally take the plunge and commit to it. More power to you if you succeed earlier!

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There are plenty of great meditation apps out there that only require 10 minutes a day and send you daily reminders so you don’t flake out. You can use guided sessions, so you are not sitting there alone trying to chase thoughts out of your mind. This way you can learn valuable techniques to control stress, anxiety and big emotions.

With these, I am sure you must be feeling more confident about managing your stress and focusing on what's important.