Working moms are constantly busy juggling home life and work life, especially when parenting is involved. In many different countries careers still get stuck on impossible ideals of work and home. As a result, they are drowning of stress, according the website for the magazine Psychology Today.
Countries with stressful motherhood
Sociologist Caitlyn Collins discussed the different areas in which motherhood is stressful. According to Psychology Today, she discusses how Sweden does support families with children where mothers and fathers approach an equal share in child-rearing parenthood, which is also compatible with work. However, in Sweden, an ideal of motherhood adds pressure for the women. In Western Germany and Italy, regions with strong histories of maternalism, women feel a career is incompatible with child-rearing, and experience stigma if they pursue one. One of the areas where motherhood is most stressful is also in America.
According to Collins, the United States is an outlier among western industrialized countries for its absence of support for mothers who work. American mothers are constantly experiencing guilt and work/family conflict. American mothers attempt to solve this by changing jobs and other individual strategies that approach child-rearing as a private responsibility and work-family conflict as a personal problem.
Time demands
According to the website Very Well Family, most mothers feel a shortness of time. Whether it’s a lack of sufficient time to get the laundry done, time to spend just playing with the kids, time to one’s self, or time for dozens of other important activities, many mothers find that there are simply not enough hours in the day to do everything that they need or would like to do.
Finances
Whether using daycare, a nanny, or surrendering a full income to stay at home, caring for children is expensive, states Very Well Family. As children grow up, finances increase and can pose a strain on a family’s budget. While children are more than worth the expense, parents do tend to face greater financial stress.
Job productivity
Even if you’re physically at work, you may be mentally absent if home- or work-related stress is taking over your life, according to the website for the magazine Working Mother. You may leave your desk often to make personal calls or text loved ones, be less attentive than usual in meetings, make mistakes in your work and not be as creative at problem-solving as you once were.
Lost work time
According to Working Mother, working moms are at particular risk for losing work time due to stress because of the trials of managing child care arrangements, elder care and necessary family tasks and errands.
How to beat stress!
According to Very Well Mind there are many different ways when it comes to beating stress.
Plan ahead and be organized
Being organized is a vital skill for working moms. If you plan ahead and streamline your routines, there’s less fussing, forgetting things, and stressing as you move through your busy day.
Set boundaries
Working moms play many roles, and of course want to do their best in everything they work on; indeed, the roles of mother, worker, and partner require nothing less than their best. This sometimes leads to thinking you can never say no. For a working mom to be her best, however, she doesn’t have to say yes to everyone’s requests. In fact, saying “no” to responsibilities that aren’t vital to her success and that of her family enables a working mom to say yes to the things in her life that are. Start practicing how to set boundaries in relationships right away.
Take care of yourself
If you aren’t at your best physically and emotionally, you won’t be performing at your best at work or with your kids. To maintain the kind of stamina and focus required to give their best to your children and to work, it’s important for working moms to care for themselves the way they care for their children: by getting plenty of sleep, healthy food, and at least some “downtime.” It’s also important to enjoy positive feedback to avoid burnout.
Focus on stress management
When stressed, working moms often find themselves less able to connect with their children or focus at work, which may lead to acting out by the kids, time-consuming mistakes at work, and other things that increase stress for working moms and their families. Therefore, taking a proactive stance on stress management is quite important. Ways this can be done is through breathing exercise, regular exercise or meditation regimen, hobby, or supportive social circle, can relieve significant stress for working moms and their families.
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shouldstorm/201903/mothers-are-drowning-in-stress
https://www.verywellmind.com/working-moms-and-stress-relief-3145161
https://www.verywellfamily.com/common-causes-of-stress-for-mothers-3144845
https://www.workingmother.com/content/real-costof-stress
