One Thing I Do To Reduce Stress

As someone who suffers from panic attacks and anxiety, it is a surprise to most that I put more on my plate each day. The stress from trying to be the perfect mom, raising the perfect kids, maintaining a perfect home and being the perfect wife can take a toll on someone. All this even more so on someone with anxiety. I tend to fall into the new trend trap. When some new parenting trend arises I am at the forefront trying it out despite the added stress it may cause or the added work I now have because of it.

Ever feel like you have way too much on your plate? Like you are constantly moving and here and there and not ever really taking a moment to breathe. Well, that’s how I felt for years.

As moms, we like to take on more than we probably should. We think we can handle it all with all the multitasking and trying to keep up with the latest trend.

But what is it all for? Sometimes you need to get rid of the extra baggage weighing you down, take a deep breath and enjoy what is really going on around you.

Because let’s face it. While it may look fun, cool or cute, it’s adding extra stress to your life that you just don’t need. Remember my post about self-care? We as mamas need to make sure we don’t stack our plate too high for what we can handle. Without taking care of ourselves we cannot truly take care of those around us.

What one thing could you eliminate that would ease the stress and anxiety in your life?

For me, it was cloth diapers. I spent a whole summer researching the different types and brands of cloth diapers. I joined countless Facebook groups to read real reviews and compared prices both second hand and new. And finally, I found the cutest lot of used diapers and was so excited to try them out with my son. The first set I purchased, I was not a fan of the style so I quickly set out to test another. I found the ones! They were perfect, we had cute designs and they worked well with my son. I even bought the toilet sprayer to clean soiled inserts. My husband laughed at the idea that I would waste so much time cleaning diapers but I continued on. I had a rhythm and was making it work with my schedule. And I loved seeing my son run around in that cute little diaper.

A move added to the mix.

When we moved from Texas to New York I stopped using them all together because we were on the road a lot and let’s face it disposable is so much easier when you are constantly on the move. Once we were settled in New York it took me a month to get back into cloth diapering and I immediately saw the added stressed it placed on me. So, I dropped them. I dropped them quickly and haven’t looked back. Bye Felicia!

It was for the best, and I am happier and more relaxed since doing so.

Time to stop adding to your plate or following the new trend.

So maybe cloth diapers are working for you, they certainly save money. I am in no way telling you to stop because I did. If it is working for you great. What I am saying is, everyone has their own stressors. Find that one thing you have piled on to your plate and see if you notice a change in your mental, emotional or physical state if you eliminated it for a day, week or month.

I am the queen of multitasking and I once took great pride in that. But I am beginning to see how the stress of doing so much extra affects my family and my work. I am not able to be 100% – not 100% there for my kids, husband or my job.

And doing it all is so darn tiring.

In the spirit of self-care, I am eliminating the stressors in my life that I have created and would be better off not there. Bye-bye cloth diapers!

What is something you can eliminate from your daily life that can reduce stress and bring you a step closer to being a better you? Let me know in the comments.

Interested in learning how I manage to stay on task throughout my day? Download my Mom’s Daily planner sheet that I use every day to make sure I accomplish what I set out to do for the day.