How to keep yourself calm and stress free? Whatever s**t comes your way!

[sickofpolitics]

Hi All,

Since a few months i have been feeling very low in mood, irritable and feel like whatever i try to do or achieve within my professional, educational or personal life...i get surrounded by hurdles...maybe it's just the negativity or stress of juggling work, child, home, studying for masters all at once and not giving any attention to my mind, body and soul...any useful tips and advice for being stress free would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Personally I couldnt hope to juggle all that.
Personally I put my and my family's health,mental,physical,emotional,spiritual higher up the priority list than most people.
I think you are right that time for yourself is what helps to have much less stress.Any chance of you having that?

Unfortunately i dont seem to find the time to look after myself mentally and physically and whenever i think about it i get hurdles in my way such as i go ill or something else! I do put my family first so i guess that's why i dont get time for myself...

In the past,I have sometimes got ill after I have stopped overworking. It is like my body has stored up the illness ready for when I rest.

yeah i know what you mean... i think my body does the same thing to me...or maybe i am making excuses not to excercise or to lose weight...i guess i need to work on my mental well-being i.e. to de-stress and hopefully this will make me focus on physical well-being...but not sure what stress relief techniques i should do or try...any advice?

I think I have run out of ideas,so will bump for you.

Have you tried reading any books such as Buddism for Mothers? Agree that time for yourself is key. I have three children under 7 and put the youngest into Childcare one day a week so I can do the housework, meet friends or just be.

How old are your kids?

hi

Nevillebarnes
I would like to read a book but again not much time. If you can recommend any book in particular i can have a look on amazon or at my local library? I work part-time 3 days a week, my daughter goes to my work nursery on two days of my working week...one day she is at home with her dad...i am happy to try out some buddha relaxation techniques if you know of any? I am starting my 2nd year of masters from oct which means my 4 days of the week will be occupied with work and uni...leaving me only the weekend...

FrothyOM
i only have one daughter who is 2 years old but is like a typical toddler full of energy!

I've just bought Buddhism for Mothers from amazon. There are three books, one for mums of babies, one for mums of schoolchildren, I forget the third. I bought the three-books-in-one but only read a couple of pages. I have three dc and not much free time. I started reading it in bed but fell asleep. So maybe it was relaxing!

I think it helps, if you can, to try to cut a few corners on housework if you can. When I was expecting my first dc my mum said "as long as your kitchen and bathroom are clean, go easy on yourself with the rest.
I find it really gets me down when the house is a mess but I am trying to look past it and relax. My kids live here too, they don't need me stressing about the mess. They do help me to tidy up if I nag them enough.
Storage is key, a few nice looking, large boxes and everything goes away before bedtime.

NevilleBarnes

Sounds like a good book if it relaxes you and makes you go to sleep...i'll buy myself the one with babies...although i have only one, she is in a terrible two toddler!

Yeah i too try to keep the kitchen and bathroom clean while the rest of the mess in the house gets ignored. i need a proper time strategy or a routine to be on top of everything and just maintain it...large storage boxes are a great idea to hide away mountains of toys...so yeah will need to buy another big storage box for my daughter's ever increasing toys...thanks you have been a great help...will keep you posted on how i get on once i have recovered from this cold.

Just noticed the terrible grammar on my last post, sorry.

Remember you are not alone, loads of us feel the same way. It's just not easy, especially the first few years. Toddlers are very hard work at times. And juggling work too can make you feel over stretched.

I have recently lost my part time job and feel partly relieved. DH and I are cutting some costs so I can stay at home full time for a while.

Go easy on yourself.

sick, as a ft working parent, a live-in aupair does wonders for the logistics of juggling all the things you mentioned. She can do cleaning and simple housework, take children on the schoolrun, cover child sicknesses, do simple errands/collect parcels during the day, wrap around care if I am delayed at work.

That way, I don't have to rush around. I am still very busy but it keeps the stress levels down. The loss of privacy and expense is well worth it for such support.

Are you a perfectionist?