The reality of being a working mother and bringing up children whilst maintaining some form of social life and juggling the everyday pressures we all face, is, let’s face it, exhausting.
With this in mind, I wanted to share my top five tips to combat tiredness. Let’s not mess around – starting to do five new things on top of what you’re already managing is unrealistic – pick one that you think will work best for you and build up to more when you can. Incorporating small changes little by little is much more sustainable and new habits simply become part of your lifestyle with time.
How to feel less tired – 5 easy steps
1. Eat breakfast – there have been tonnes of studies to prove that eating breakfast is an important strategy to combat fatigue. Most mornings I feel like a zombie having been woken up to a screaming 20 month old but no matter what, I always eat breakfast and try to drink water. The truth is, breakfast kick starts your body into action for the day, so just don’t skip it. Even if you think you’re saving calories, the likelihood is, without it, you’re more likely to consume something like a sugar-filled caramel latte and a pastry by 11am to give you the energy to get through until lunch. Short on time? Try easy make-ahead recipes for delicious pumpkin seed breakfast cookies and yogurt oat bread
2. Schedule down time for self-care – just like at work, we use meeting dates and times to make sure something gets done. Use this approach to combat tiredness by proactively booking time in your online or paper diary to practise self-care, otherwise, you’re more likely to deprioritise it. From experience, I’m more likely to feel refreshed after an hour of self-care vs. an hour sat in front of the TV. Find out more about self-care and 15 tips on how to do it here
3. Get the best quality sleep you can – the likelihood is, you’re functioning on less sleep, or interrupted sleep as a mother. Ethan is 20 months old and still not sleeping through. So, make the sleep you DO have, the best quality it can be. I’ve found having herbal tea before bed a real help to wind down and ease digestion – my favourites are:
4. Stop talking about it – ever heard of the phrase “You become what you say”? In seriousness, words have the power to deflate or inflate our ego; my natural reaction to “Hey, how are you?” would frequently be “I’m exhausted, you?”. I’m not saying be dishonest, its fine to share with others that you feel a little tired, but try to change to subject and shift your mind set quickly away from the topic to avoid it taking over your head space. In practise, this might sound like “ I’m OK – I’m quite tired at the moment but I’ve got a weekend away/night off/break from work planned soon which I’m really looking forward to”.
5. Move more – Exercise can feel like the last thing you can face when you’re tired, but trust me you’ll feel better for it. Government guidelines recommend even 15 minute walk can make you feel perkier. If you’re struggling to get to the gym, try these 20 ways to get fit with a baby here
This post is brought to you by North Leeds-based mama, Jenna, who blogs at The Lifestyle is Calling. Find tonnes more hints and tips on all things style, career, food and motherhood here or like The Lifestyle is Calling on Facebook to get all the latest updates what she’s up to in Leeds, and beyond!
