Thursday, May 28, 2009

Hope for Weary Mamas--Little Things That Help

These brownies sure are a yummy treat for one of "those days"




A lavendar mineral bath is wonderfully soothing after chasing littles all day!





When we are weary, we have to stop and prayerfully consider how we might combat our weariness. It seems obvious that because of various factors I've mentioned (rigors of caring for small kids, pregnancy, illness, hormones, spiritual attack, mini-trials, big trials, responsibilities, etc.) most moms struggle with weariness at least some of the time, if not often. What are some simple and practical things we can do to find relief from mommy exhaustion? Here is my list of things I either CURRENTLY do or NEED to start doing. I hope you will share your list too in the comments section:


Spiritual Weariness

When I'm Feeling Deeply Discouraged


Pray and tell God I can't do it in my own strength


Talk to myself!!! (See last couple of posts in this series)


Listen to SEEDS CDs (Scripture set to upbeat music) or praise and worship music


Be thankful! Remind myself of all the blessings I have!


Read meaty books that spur me on to faith and good works


Listen to pastors/online programs that uplift, encourage, and exhort


Listen to my chapters for reading through the Bible in a year while I sweep or fold laundry


Ask a friend to pray for me


Speak out against the forces of evil and bind them in Jesus' name
Regular date nights whether at home or on the town






Physical Weariness


Take a hot bath


Get more rest if possible




Take vitamins daily


Drink plenty of fluids


Drink Green Tea


Eat healthy foods instead of junk


Nap when I'm especially exhausted


Go to bed early


Ask hubby for a massage


Skip early rising for the day and go back to bed after Justus eats at 6:30 a.m.


Scale back my schedule and stay home more and make easy suppers from the freezer during times of sickness or PMS


Do neck and spinal exercises 1-3 times a day to maintain pain-free neck






Trials


Instead of crying, choose to laugh when thing after thing seems to hit all at once


Take things in stride and recognize that most of it doesn't matter in light of eternity


Watch America's Funniest Home Videos on Youtube for some comic relief at the end of a long day


Ask for help--Let my hubby know I need a hug, his prayers, and his help. I'm bad about asking sometimes and men don't usually know what we want


Faith in the Lord. God will meet our needs. He has proven Himself faithful in the past and He will care for this need, whether trivial or expensive, frightening or simply annoying.
Do what you can do and save the rest for tomorrow.




Keep in mind that the list above doesn't include tips for handling weariness caused by ME! One of the biggest ways we can become weary is by taking on too much, being poor stewards of our time or money or both, lack of planning, investing in too many people, not keeping our priorities straight, not being able to say no, not being disciplined, etc. I've addressed some of these issues in my book review post on the book "Shopping for Time."
Do you see how proactive one must be to overcome weariness as a mom? If I don't make a plan, don't take care of myself, and don't prioritize my life, I will likely end up overwhelmed every single day with all that needs to be done as a mom. Looking over my list I realized that I have to really be intentional every day to combat the weariness that so easily can come.


3 comments:

Thia said...

Fantastic list. When it comes to prayer, sometimes when I am frazzled, I don't know how to start other than whining about whatever is going wrong. I've been working on a mini prayer book that I can use at this time. I am putting Psalms to pray as well as little prayers I find written by others.
Journaling is good too. A breath or two of fresh air.
I would be interested in the exercises you do for your back. We really put more stress on them than we should. I suffer from a pinched nerve in mine, but can't afford the chiro appointments, so I am always looking for ways to work that area myself.

the momma said...

can you share a link to the SEEDS cd? this is like - big people music, not kid music?? ( I am not a big fan of kid music. I know...)

Unknown said...

Great, great post. Thanks, I needed this.

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