Mother’s day begins earlier than everyone and finishes later than everyone. Between these points — endless stream of tasks, where there’s no place to stop and breathe out.
Breakfast prepares simultaneously with getting ready for school, work calls interrupt with children’s questions, evening passes between homework and putting to bed.
Head is stuffed with hundred small things that can’t be forgotten. By end of day remains only tiredness that piles up for weeks and months. But there’s a simple way not to burn out — to learn making short stops for yourself.
How Ordinary Day Looks
Morning starts with checking — did everyone wake up, is everything collected, did we forget nothing. While breakfast prepares, need to watch that children dressed, cleaned teeth, packed backpacks. Between things you answer work messages because colleagues already started day. In head spins list: buy bread, sign up to dentist, check homework, pick up parcel.
Work day passes in attempts to concentrate between children’s calls and messages from school. Evening — this is homework, clubs, dinner, fights because of gadgets, putting to bed. When children finally fall asleep, want just to fall and do nothing. But remained unwashed dishes, unfinished report, pile of small tasks.
What You Keep in Head Constantly
List never finishes:
- When next vaccination for younger and isn’t it time to sign up to eye doctor with older.
- What to cook tomorrow because milk finishes and bread already stale.
- Tomorrow control work in math — check if learned formulas.
- Birthday at classmate in week — buy present.
- Partner asked to remind about meeting on Friday.
All this spins in background even when you’re busy with something else. Brain doesn’t turn off.
What Happens without Breaks
Constant multitasking exhausts. Impossible to work at limit for months without consequences. First appears irritability — you break down at children because of small things, get angry at partner without reason.
Then comes apathy — don’t want anything, everything through force. Sleep stops restoring, you wake up broken.
Children feel this tension and react. Start being capricious more than usual, demand attention louder, obey worse. Turns out closed circle — the more you tire, the harder becomes to cope, the stronger piles up tiredness.
Why Short Breaks Are Needed
Break — this isn’t necessarily hour in spa or trip with girlfriends on weekend. This can be ten minutes with coffee in silence. Half hour with book while children watch cartoons. Twenty minutes of walk alone. Even five minutes of game on phone or going to entertainment site like Win Casino Bangladesh between things — this already is switching.
Main thing not in how much time, but in that brain switched off from regime “control-planning-solving”. When attention completely goes into something else, nervous system receives breathing space. This like computer reboot — after short pause everything works bit faster and smoother.
What Helps to Disconnect
Each mother has own ways:
- Run or yoga — physical activity drops tension and gives surge of energy.
- Drawing, knitting, any creativity — hands busy, head rests from thoughts about task lists.
- Series or book — immersion into someone else’s story pushes out own worries at least for time.
- Talk with girlfriend — to speak out loud what boiled up, by itself makes easier.
Works what you like exactly, not what they advise in articles about self-development.
Why Difficult to Allow Yourself Rest
Guilt comes automatically. “Children need me and I sit with phone”. “Husband works whole day and I can’t even dinner normally prepare”. “Other mothers cope, why I don’t”. These thoughts spin in head and don’t let relax even in rare free minutes.
Social networks make worse. There all mothers look vigorous, children smile, house in order, dinner from three dishes ready.
Nobody shows hysterics before sleep, unwashed dishes and spot on shirt. You compare your reality with someone else’s shop window and feel yourself not good enough.
How to cope with guilt
Several thoughts that help:
- Tired mother copes worse than rested. Break — this not selfishness but investment in family.
- Children learn what they see. If mother constantly sacrifices herself, they absorb that so it should be.
- Perfectionism — this is trap. Nobody ideal and this normal.
Right to rest exists simply because you’re human, not function of family service.
How to Find Time
Time itself won’t appear — it needs to be allocated consciously. Simplest is to use moments when children busy themselves: play, watch cartoons, do homework. Instead of rushing to wash floors or sort closet, take these 15-20 minutes for yourself.
Can agree with partner about clear boundaries. For example, Saturday from 10 to 12 — your time, no questions and requests if not fire. In exchange he gets same window on Sunday.
Simple Ways to Free Time
Concrete actions:
- Explain to children that “mom busy” — this real unavailability for 15 minutes, not invitation to arrange concert of questions.
- Order products online instead of trip to store — saves hour and half.
- Cook ahead and freeze — one day stand at stove, but week don’t think about dinner.
- Listen to audiobooks during cleaning or cooking — brain switches and tasks get done.
Not necessary to do everything at once. Even one change already will give effect.
What Changes with Time
Regular breaks work cumulatively. Through week or two you notice that you break down less often.
Through month — that you fall asleep easier and wake up more vigorous. Through couple months you understand that you communicate with children calmer and with partner — warmer.
Children also change. They see that mom cares for herself and adopt this. Learn to respect others’ boundaries. Understand that each person needs personal space.
Family atmosphere becomes lighter. Less conflicts because of small things, more normal communication. Motherhood remains difficult but stops being unbearable. Short breaks won’t solve all problems but will give resource to solve them without complete exhaustion.
