How Busy Working Moms Can Take Meaningful Breaks

When you’re a working mom, it can easily feel like you have no time for genuinely restorative breaks—or any break for that matter. Which can quickly lead to everything from resentment to burnout. But mothering doesn’t have to be one massive hustle without any respite. We just think it does. And these narratives dictate how we spend our hours and our minutes—minus real, meaningful pauses. Namely, we have “outrageous expectations” for ourselves in every arena of our lives, according to Lauren Smith Brody, mom to two and founder of Fifth Trimester Consulting, which helps businesses improve their culture for new parents and offers back-to-work coaching for moms. For instance, we think we need to Parent with a capital P, said Amialya (Mia) Durairaj, MSc, a proud mom of 2-year-old identical twin girls who were born three months early. Durairaj helps new moms of special needs children incorporate their newfound identities as parent advocates with their desire for fulfilling careers. She’s the co-creator and moderator of Mindful Return’s Balancing Career with A Special Needs Baby. “This is especially true for moms of special needs kids who get frequent feedback from specialists about all of the exercises and therapies we should be doing more often.” As a new mom, Durairaj was convinced that she determined her girls’ developmental progress. (“In retrospect, it was pretty narcissistic of me!”) Which meant that she didn’t sleep enough and didn’t take good ...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: General Happiness Mental Health and Wellness Self-Help Stress Women's Issues Motherhood Parenting stress reduction Work Life Balance Source Type: blogs