Stressed Out Moms CAN Plan A Stress-Free Week

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You know that phrase, “don’t cry over spilled milk”? Yeah, sometimes spilled milk is enough to make us just start bawling when we’re so extremely overwhelmed.

Do you feel like you’re breaking under any amount of stress?

The truth is, every single mom on this planet sometimes feels like she’s being buried alive in every responsibility that comes with being a mother and housekeeper.

It is during these times when we desperately need to simplify our lives to save our sanity. When Mom is stressed, nobody benefits. Staying on top of our mental health is not only crucial for our own sakes, but also for the overall health of our families and harmony within our homes.

And that is where making an easy-to-follow plan each week comes in!

It’s one of the best tools to ensure these days go as smoothly as they can. Especially when we feel we might break.

Sure, things still pop up, stress still creeps in at times, and the week won’t always go how you thought. But that’s okay.

Mapping out your intentions and major to-do’s for the next 7 days will keep you on track and focused on what truly needs your attention now, keeping unnecessary stressors at bay.

It’ll help you avoid that crushing overwhelm that we’re all too familiar with.

You ready?

Time To Simplify

We’re keeping this plan simple, setting up a week that you don’t feel like you’re drowning in.

Simplifying your life in a time when you’re feeling constantly stressed is essential. It’s time to honestly reflect on what things you can let go of right now. You might know what you can put to the side for now right off the bat. Or it might take some digging and prioritizing.

What are the essential things that you need to do?

Well, care for yourself; making sure you’re clean, clothed and fed.
Tending to your relationship with your husband.
Caring for your kids; making sure they’re also clean, clothed, and fed.
And keeping the house at least liveable (not immaculate- we’re not worrying about the piles of laundry and dishes right now).

Now what are the things you can delegate to someone else or let go of?

Can you pay the neighbor girl to come help with dishes, tidying, vacuuming, etc? Can somebody else drive your kids to sports practice? Do you really HAVE to do whatever commitment you agreed to with the school or church or…?

Here’s one of my favorites: Would it provide peace of mind to just buy paper plates right now to cut down on dishes to wash?

Take your responsibilities down to the bare bones if you have to. You can only do so much and that’s okay. If you’re like me, afraid of inconveniencing anyone else by letting some task go, remember that your mental health and the wellbeing of your family comes first. They’ll just have to understand. Or not.

You can’t do it all and you just can’t please everyone, especially at the expense of your sanity. And that’s perfectly fine. You’re allowed to say “no” and even after saying “yes”, you’re still allowed to say “never mind”.

Keeping too busy of a schedule depletes the energy we need to stay centered, so take whatever things out that are adding more stress than contentment to your life, and maybe you can pick them back up later.

Write Out Your Plan For The Week

Writing down your plan for a simple week will help you know exactly what to expect and you won’t feel like you’re going about your week aimlessly. It’s extremely helpful, as you will refer back to it every day.

It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, it can just be a plain notebook or the notes app on your phone. Some people can do digital planners. I wish I could, but I’m more of a physical, tangible planner type person.

Here’s an example of what my planner might look like one week:

See? Set a direction you want to go every day, but keep it simple enough to be totally achievable while not being overly stressful.

Some days can and should actually be completely blank and on those days, just do whatever you feel like you need to do, whether that’s getting some housework done, being intentional about spending time with the husband and/or kids, or doing something you want to do.

A Good Bedtime Routine

Mama, you need a good bedtime routine just for you so you have some time every night to refresh for tomorrow. I share an awesome bedtime routine that has been magical for my mental health right here!

Find Attainable Forms Of Self Care

Plan an amazing week by specifically choosing a time each day to take care of yourself.

Do any of these spark some ideas?

Set an alarm to get up before the kids so you can get ready for the day in peace
Schedule a daily time to shower, either morning or night
Maybe put on a touch of makeup (totally not necessary, but I personally feel a big difference in the tone of my day when I have just a little bit of mascara on and my eyebrows filled in)
What about keeping a stock of some yummy and healthy breakfasts or snacks that you’ll really enjoy? (Check out these peanut butter/chocolate chip protein balls. They’re SO yummy and packed with nutrients!)
Create a morning ritual for yourself like sitting by the window with your favorite tea, reading a book for 15 minutes, meditating with essential oils, making a super smoothie…

Self care can also be… well, reading and implementing various techniques to improve and protect your mental and physical health.

You are practicing self care right now as you research how to take care of YOU! I tend to scan Pinterest and blogs for this purpose while I’m laying with my kids at night inside that window of time between when they fall asleep and when I know that they’re asleep enough for me to leave without them waking up, lol. Maybe I should plan to sleep train my kids this week so I don’t have to do that. Haha, oops.

Keep looking for ways to treat yourself nicely because you need to ensure you’re getting what you need in order to prevent burnout this week and every week.

I promise you will feel so much better as you make sure your needs are being taken care of.

Include A Special Treat In Your Weekly Plan

In addition to taking care of yourself in little ways every day, pick a day to treat yourself to something you know will be a pick-me-up. It’ll boost your mood and serve as something to look forward to!

It can be big or small; allowing yourself to bake that box of ghirardelli triple chocolate brownie mix, getting a babysitter so that you can go sit in your favorite park by yourself, getting that fancy drink you love from the coffee stand. You can splurge by booking a day for shopping, going to lunch with a friend, or getting a massage!

Make Attainable Plans With Your Spouse

Am I the only one who’s jaw drops when people talk about going on a date with their spouse once a week? Holy moly, that’s hard, especially when you have young kids. Regardless, make a priority to coordinate a day and time when you two can just be together this week.

Some attainable plans you could make with your husband could be:

Cuddle and watch a movie together
Take a scenic drive together (even if you have to drag the kids along, they’ll be strapped in their seats and you two can hopefully enjoy some conversation with each other)
Sit on the couch and just talk
Play a game (we like Yahtzee!)
Download a conversation starter app on your phone
Reminisce on your dating / honeymoon days
Do you guys like video games? Lol, we’re on a Minecraft kick right now!
Cook a meal together
Buy some ice cream and a ton of toppings to make home-made blizzards
Try / learn something new together
Watch funny YouTube videos
Sit down and plan a weekend getaway together

When I’m feeling drained, one thing that significantly refills my cup is spending time with my husband. He’s my best friend.

Psychologist Jordan Peterson advises married couples to spend at least 90 minutes a week to converse with each other. This can be split up throughout the week, so it should be completely doable, but will still require some attention to make sure it’s happening.

We need that interaction with our husbands and they need it too. I want to hear what’s going on in my husband’s work life away from home, his thoughts, feelings, ideas, desires, and he wants to hear the same from me. It ensures we’re on the same page with each other and any marriage needs that connection to thrive.

Picture how it affects your mood throughout the week when your marriage is strained. Now consider how much better your chances are of feeling happy and fulfilled when the two of you feel bonded and secure inside your relationship. Something as huge as our marriage will have an amazing impact on how you feel this week.

And make sure you have sex at least once this week! It is insanely important and beneficial in so many ways! Plus, the endorphins and oxytocin (feel-good hormones) never hurt!

Super Easy “Meal Plan”

Let’s be real. Meal planning has never been easy for me. I’ve tried so many different approaches but for some reason, I just can’t make them work for me. Honestly, I’m often caught at 4:30 just barely starting to think about what I’m going to whip up for dinner in the next half hour.

If you struggle with meal planning too, just know that I appreciate you, haha! Really. It’s awesome to know that I’m not the only one when I see all the other moms around me rocking the family dinner every. single. night. Like, how?

Anyways, what has really made a difference for me in this area is my little 8×10 magnetic whiteboard stuck to the side of my fridge. I look at my “inventory” each week (so everything I have in the fridge, freezer, and pantry) and brainstorm what meals I can make inspired by what I already have. It’s okay if I have to go buy stuff to complete the meal, but I just come up with 3 or 4 dinners and write them down on my whiteboard.

I don’t assign dates to the meals. Then, say on Wednesday morning, I can look at the list and pick a dinner for that evening.

Super simple and it works really well for me.

Easy Weekly Chore Chart

It’s no secret that keeping a house clean and tidy is exhausting, especially when you have kids! Dishes galore, toys spread around the entire house (how did a toy car get under my pillow??), sooooo much laundry, vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, moping, cleaning the toilets, wiping the countertops, and, and, and, and.

Then on top of that, we’re supposed to do all of the deep cleaning like wiping the floor boards and clearing all the junk out from underneath the couch! Ugh, are you kidding me?

Having a good chore chart can relieve so much stress when we feel completely overwhelmed with all the housework and makes it so much more manageable.

This is mine:

Wrapping Up

So there you have it! It’s totally possible to set up a (mostly) stress-free week for yourself when you are just done. I hope things will get better for you soon, mama! I’m sure some of these tips will help! Let me know in the comments.

Until next time.

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