As the holidays approach and we seem to start carrying more on our ‘to-do’ lists and our days are crammed fuller, the stress level for moms can go through the roof. This morning I was responding to a mom’s reflections on some questions posed to her in the Becoming A Calm, Cool and Confident Mom series, and she said this:
“My general stress is very often carried out in how I interact with my children and I need to work on that.”
Does anyone else feel that way too? Our mood is reflected outward to our families, whether we are aware of this or not. This can create a positive and nurturing environment in our homes, or can result in just the opposite, one of chaos, frustration and negative tones.
As mother’s we have a great opportunity to create an atmosphere in our homes where our family members can enjoy living, laughing and learning together. This can seem daunting, but if you can do one thing today, try to be in touch with your mood, your level of stress and see how it can affect your family, especially your children.
Why not take some intentional action steps to be more aware of the environment in your home?
Take some time and think of your perfect day with your family, what would that look like? Actually write down the activities you might do, the interactions you would have with your children and your spouse, moments you would like to capture, learning opportunities you would like to seize.
Now think of the atmosphere in general, what does your kitchen or family room area look like, what smells are present, what is the noise level.
These things influence our level of stress. If your kitchen counter is cluttered with yesterday’s mail and the sink is stacked with lunch dishes, it will influence your mood. If the TV is blaring and your’re unable to have a conversation with your toddler, this influences that relationship and your overall mood.
Let’s go back to that perfect day you envisioned. What ideas do you have to create just this type of sanctuary for your family to come home to? What action steps can you set to get closer to that ideal vision?
Can you set a “no TV” policy for certain hours of the day and either have quiet or soft music in the background?
How about making the time to clean up immediately after a meal to avoid the stacked dishes or making sure you go through the mail when it is brought in, instead of just setting it down thinking you’ll get to it later. Sometimes I think it is just better to leave it in the mailbox until you know you can take the time to go through it!
What about smells, what do you like, what is calming to you? Can you light a candle in the room your family spends the most time in to create a warm atmosphere?
There are unlimited ideas that you could come up with in order to live out your perfect day in your home. I am not suggesting that you strive for perfection, but rather have the vision of that perfect day as a goal out there, if you do not have any vision – how will you set a goal? How will you know when you have made some progress towards what you would like to see change?
Reflecting our stress level back to our family just produces the wrong type of environment that nurtures and refreshes – and creating a home that provides that is certainly at the top of my list as my responsibility as Keeper of the Home.
What ideas can you share with other moms that helps reduce your stress level?
