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

PMS Prep

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.