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Feel like a hassled working mom in the mornings? Here are some great tips to handle the challenges working mothers face.
With today’s fast paced lifestyle, it gets really hectic and stressful. More so for women, and even more for working women. The most for a working mother. No doubt, this stress impacts our health. It is very important to manage the stress level so that it does not cause a bigger impact.
A bit of Planning & Organizing, a bit of Time-management and a bit of Self-motivation can make it simpler.
“Oooh…I don’t want to go to office, I wish it was a Sunday again. Finally the kids are off to school with all the weekend HW and projects in place. Oh-No, I forgot to put my daughter’s project in her bag. I will need to drop it off at her school while on my way to office now. Oops! I have this early morning meeting too. Shittt! I am already late. What should I wear to office today?…I forgot to get the clothes ironed over the weekend.”
Somehow you manage to wear whatever is at hand, you dump your office bag and school project in your trunk, drive hastily to office via school, and finally you land into the meeting 10 minutes late; just to get scornful looks from everybody else in the meeting room.
You feel bad. The start of your week is so frustrating. You have no motivation to walk into that complete week ahead. After finishing the meeting, you rush to the washroom. That is the first time you get a chance to see the mirror.
“OMG…look at me …I look so tired already. My shoes are not matching either…my hair is all over…seems like I walked into office, straight out of the bed”
You again feel upset. At that very moment, you see this girl walking into the washroom with her makeup kit in hand. She starts touching up her slightly faded lipstick and you start thinking –“Wow, she is so well dressed (#jealous). And still she needs to touch-up (#cunningly-surprised). Look at Me GOD-damn-it (#sad). I wonder how she finds time for all this (#amazed). I am sure she must be unmarried, or definitely must not be a mom yet (#justifying yourself)”.
This story of challenges working mothers face sounds familiar? I am sure it does!
Most of us will be able to relate to it. I know, it’s tough to be a working mother; it’s tough to have things in place with such a hectic life. But today, I am not going to justify it. NO! It’s not OK to wear anything to work and somehow manage to get through one more week for the sake of it – with no motivation and happiness.
Here are a few things that can help you avoid these hassles and make your workdays better.
Plan your week in advance. Utilize one hour from your Friday evenings to plan your weekend as well as the work week ahead. Spare some time from the weekend for yourself too. Keep your salon visits on your weekend calendar along with other high priority tasks. Believe me, it’s a priority thing too! You need to relax and feel good about yourself!
Plan to complete weekend school projects on Saturday mornings or by the afternoons so that you get rest of the weekend for recreation.
At work, start planning early. Before leaving office on Friday itself, make sure you have reviewed your to-do list for next week. This way you have all the prep work completed for tasks you need to kick start, or complete on Monday at-least.
If possible, avoid early morning meetings on Monday, so that you get some time for yourself to get back to speed by second half. At least, I try to do that to avoid any hassles. I need time to get over the weekend hangover, so I plan my Mondays accordingly.
Make sure that everything you will need during the week at work, at home, for school or for kids/babies, is worked upon during the weekend, so that you don’t have last minute troubles in already busy weekdays.
Managing your schedule as best as you can is the key to happy work and family life. It is easy to manage your time if you have planned ahead and are organized enough to stick to the plan.
Another important point for time management is, do not shy away from asking for help. Use external help wherever possible. I know it gives you a superwoman feeling if you do everything on your own, but this could take a toll on your health. So prioritize your list, then decide what needs your personal attention vs what can be delegated to external help or family members ready to help.
So –
Being motivated in whatever you do, and feeling good about yourself is the most important thing on this earth. If you don’t love your work, I would say look for something that you will really love to do. Lack of motivation happens even if you are doing what you wanted to do since childhood. There can be many reasons – like things get routine for you, you are so busy that you cannot really enjoy anything.
Small things can help you lighten the stress and feel happy. Even if you are well dressed at office and a colleague compliments you for your hairstyle or dress or mere lipstick shade, believe me, that compliment will make your day. So spend time on yourself, wear what you like so that you feel good about yourself.
In a busy work day, find time or rather plan and manage to have a 15 mins break to have coffee with your best friend at work. (I know every lady will have a best friend at work because that is the place where you spend most of the time of your day). Sharing your tensions with someone will make you feel good and the inspiring and encouraging comments from others will definitely motivate you.
Spare at least one weekend in every two months for a small getaway – with family or kids or spouse alone or friends, whatever make you happy. Shopping is another way to enlighten your mood. If you are a shopper at heart, go for it. Even if you are not a crazy shopper, give it a try. It definitely makes you feel better!
I am sure these small tips to overcome the challenges working mothers face will help you. So ladies, cut down on the stress, and follow OMM (Organized, Managed and Motivated) for yourself. If you are happy, your family will be happy – the key to a happy family lies in the happiness of the woman of that family!
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A Perfect Libran, is how I define myself!! . Striking the Right Balance is my MANTRA - may it be between Life@work & Life@home, Family & Friends, Myself & My relationships. Writing is my passion, reading is my read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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