A Survival Guide For Stay-At-Home Moms

Sure, there are all the joys that come with being a stay-at-home mom. You get to spend lots of quality time with your kids. When the kids are asleep or busy elsewhere, you can watch plenty of daytime telly and keep on top of some of your chores. You don’t have to go to work, so those pesky commutes become a thing of the past. It’s all sunshine and rainbows!

Except, of course, it isn’t! Despite the stay-at-home joys, it can be tough. You might go through feelings of isolation if you lack adult company. You may have to live on a limited income if you gave up your career. And there will be days when you feel exhausted, as all the demands of parenting catch up with you.

Hence this survival guide to help you cope!

Overcome your feelings of loneliness

How can you be lonely when you have your children for company? Easy. While they are undeniably fun to have around (some of the time), there will be times when you crave adult conversation; that person you can talk to about grown-up things, away from conversations about toy trains and the importance of using the potty, and that person who will offer you an arm of support when you need to offload just how hard it is being a stay-at-home mom!

Tip: Remember to keep your friends close. Invite them round for a cuppa, call them on the phone, or meet up with them in town. And if you need any new friends, then seek them out at mother and toddler groups or take your kids to the park, and strike up a conversation with anybody that looks as if they could do with a grown-up conversation themselves.

Click here to better understand how speaking with a licensed therapist works.

Dealing with giving up a career

If you have given up work to raise your children, then you won’t have as much money coming into the house as you used to. You can make savings here and there of course, but having a child isn’t cheap, and there are all the worries about missing out on a career to get you down.

Tip: Consider taking on a side-hustle, as this is something you may be able to fit around your other mommy duties. Not only will it bring in extra money each month, but it will also give you a sense of purpose to your day.

And if you are worried about getting back into work later in life, know that a side-hustle will be something to add to your resumé to boost your job chances. Now is the time to get your career back on track too. If you are worried about a lack of career progression, you can still study online to fast-track your way into decent positions. This operations management degree online is just one example, and it can be fitted around your parenting duties.

Managing with exhaustion

A stay-at-home parent’s life is not an easy one. Your children need entertaining, washing, and feeding, and that is just the start! Just what is an exhausted mom to do?

Tip: You cannot go through this alone, so reach out to your partner, friends and neighbours to give you a helping hand. It doesn’t matter if they childmind, or clean your kitchen; let them in so you can find an outlet to relax a little and get a bit of me-time.