10 ways mums can relax

Last Updated on April 4, 2024

As joyous as motherhood can be, it’s also hard.

There are some days that fly by without any massive dramas, but there are other days where we’re so busy, stressed, and have yelled more than we’d like to admit, that all we want to do is get the day over with.

No matter what type of day we’re having, there’s one thing that all mums really need to add to their day, which is taking some time out to relax.

Having some relaxation in our days allows us to recharge our batteries, and tackle what the rest of the day has instore, it’s integral to our happiness as a mum.

Relaxing doesn’t have to take a long time, it can be as little as five minutes each day.

If taking time out to relax is something you’d like to start doing, but aren’t sure how to do it, here are 10 ways mums can relax that may provide just the thing you need to start to make relaxation a daily priority in your mum life.

Realise that you can’t do it all

It’s near impossible to do it all, and trying to can lead to frustration and resentment towards those around us.

If you know that you’ve got too much on your plate, and also know that something has to give so you feel better about yourself, and those around you, then it’s time to work out what has to go.

Think about, or write down everything that you’ve got going on and decide what you’re going to stop doing, and what you can give to others to do.

If you’re not sure about what to stop doing, or what to delegate, then think about your priorities and only do things that will move them forward.

For example, if your priorities are family, work, and your mental health, then only do things that help with these priorities, anything that you’re doing that doesn’t aid your priorities can be stopped, or given to someone else.

Accept that you’re going to be interrupted

As mums we’re often in the middle of something and get interrupted by someone asking us to help with something, or make something.

Accepting that interruptions are part of mum life, and knowing that you can get back to what you were doing after you deal with the interruption, may in some small way help us to not get irritated every time we have to stop what we’re doing.

Reframing how we act when we’re interrupted, and doing longer tasks when the kids aren’t around to interrupt us, can help to reduce our frustration at this part of mum life, and try to relax about it a bit better.

Wake up before your kids

This may not be possible if you have an early riser, however, if you can, waking up before your kids is one of the most suggested ways mums can relax, because it’s time that you are alone, and that rarely happens.

Waking up even just 10 minutes before your kids means that you can start the day on a relaxed note, either by having a hot drink, watching the news, reading, or just enjoying the quiet time.

It’s time that you can finally meet your own needs before anyone else’s.

Let your kids work out their own problems

The sound of your kids fighting, moaning, telling on each other, and crying is grating.

My youngest son is 2, and already he and my oldest fight. They both grab toys and say mine, they snatch things from each other, and there are often tears.

Something that I’m starting to do to relax about this a little bit is let them work out their smaller issues between themselves.

This means I don’t yell at them, which increases my stress levels, but also allows them to work out how to work with each other’s moods, and how to solve problems by themselves, which I’m hoping will help them when their fights are worse as they get older.

Walk away

Knowing when you’re about to explode and then walking away from a situation, is one of the ways mums can relax that I do often.

Whenever there’s a lot of chaos, mess, and noise in my house, and I feel like I’m about to loose it at everyone, I walk upstairs and read a chapter of a book and let the noise quieten down without me.

It’s the only way I stop myself from getting really angry, and making my kids, and husband not want to be around me.

Walking away is sometimes all I need to do to relax and go back downstairs to work out a solution to the chaos.

Exercise

Finding time to exercise isn’t easy, and if you’re not into exercise like me, then exercising is something that won’t be on your radar as a way to relax.

Exercise doesn’t have to mean going to the gym, or doing something strenuous.

It can mean going for a walk with or without your kids whilst listening to a podcast, doing yoga, or finding some at home workouts that take as little as 10 minutes to complete.

The point of whatever exercise you choose is that it gets your body moving, and helps you to relax.

Clean or declutter

Ok, stay with me for this one, because I know what you’re thinking, how can cleaning or decluttering help me relax, it’s a chore!

For some people, myself included, one of the biggest contributors to my frustration, stress, and screamy nature is when there’s mess around me.

Spending just a small amount of time cleaning, or decluttering, provides a level of productivity that can declutter your mind, and therefore improve your mood, helping you to relax.

For me a decluttered house, equals a decluttered brain, which enhances my mood, and reduces stress.

Head out

One of the ways mums can relax that involves the whole family is to head outdoors.

Often when our kids are at home for a long period of time, they can go stir crazy, so to avoid meltdowns heading out to a local park, or going on a spontaneous adventure can do wonders for everyone’s stress levels.

Stop the comparisons

Comparing our lives and our kids to others can prevent us from seeing all that we have, and everything that our kids can do, which leads to feelings of inadequacy, and maybe even failure.

It can make us feel frustrated with our kid’s development, and question if they’re not doing something because of something we’ve done as a mum, which isn’t true.

Looking at the bigger picture of our lives, remembering that all kids do things at different times, and remembering that stages and behaviours shown by our kids don’t last forever, can help us to see that comparisons aren’t helpful.

Find support

Surrounding yourself with people who support you, and tell you honestly what they’re going through in their mum lives, will make you feel supported, and less alone.

Support can be found many ways, and doesn’t just have to be with family members.

You can get support through friends, in online forums, and even by reading social media posts from other mums of all backgrounds and ages, who document honestly about the challenges they’re facing, and how they’re learning to overcome them.

What types of things do you do to relax?