Stress busting hobbies for mommies

Stress-busting hobbies for mommies

 

Stress busting hobbies for mommies – Being mom is hard. It is a battlefield for mothers everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re a working mother, a stay-at-home mother, or a combination of the two. But what happens when your child is special and has special needs that need special love and special attention?  Motherhood is a state of being where you are constantly giving parts of yourself away. You are giving away your attention. You’re giving away your love, your focus, and all of your energy. It is a constant position to be in and it requires literally all of your patience and stamina. Moms of special needs children need to give more of it. And taking care of yourself takes a backseat among all the madness. So in order to function well, we all need a little break where we can do things we love.

It’s like the air hostesses in aircraft say — you have to put on your own oxygen mask before you can help others. And that’s exactly what it means to need a break as a mom. All you’re asking is that you help yourself breathe a little easier so you can be the best mom possible for your kids. So how can you take care of yourself and help relieve some stress without feeling guilty?  Read on!

1. Gardening

Gardening can be a great stress reliever for many reasons, including getting you into the sunshine and fresh air, creating more beautiful surroundings to come home to each day, and more.  Planting is said to have some great benefits for mental health as it concerns taking care of plants and helps you boost your mood and increased vitamin D works wonders for your health.

2. Drawing or Coloring

You can get in touch with your artistic side and use drawing as a way to process emotions, distract yourself, and achieve other stress management benefits. The end result will be something beautiful and personal that you can enjoy or share. You could also use some therapeutic coloring books for adults that work wonders to destress.

3. Knitting

This one sounds old school but it definitely is an oldie but a goodie. Knitting is a dying art. Aside from helping you create beautiful gifts for yourself and others, knitting provides you an opportunity to relieve stress. The repetitive motion can get you into an experience of ‘flow’, or can at least provide an outlet for nervous energy.

 4. Music

Music has many health and stress relief benefits. While listening to music can probably be considered a hobby, creating music can be an even more powerful stress relieving hobby, as it can absorb your attention fully and become a vehicle for creative expression as well. Learning to play an instrument such as the piano, the guitar etc can be a stress reliever for you as well as for those around you, as you share your creation.

 5. Journalling

Many people have found journaling to be a great stress reliever, and the practice comes with proven stress management and health benefits as well! Writing, whether in a personal journal, as an amateur author, or even as a professional, is a hobby that can be cathartic and relaxing, and provides something great to share with others.

 6. Blogging

Blogging is a cathartic experience just like writing. You can choose to blog about anything you are interested in. You can also blog about your experiences as a mother of a special child. It will not only help you but also other mommies who are looking for some tips and help on matters that only mommies know. Additionally, you will have a support group of moms who you can rely on when you need to vent out. Cheers to all mommies!

7. Running

Running is a great way to relieve stress and burn calories. Any physical movement is good our body and our mental well being. When we work out, our body releases a hormone called endorphins that are also known as the happy hormone. Endorphins naturally keep mental illnesses like depression, mood swings and stress-related disorders away. So, get your running shoes out and run!

8. Dancing

When we talk about physical fitness, how can we not mention dancing? Dancing is a great stress buster. It doesn’t always have to be a dance form. You can lock yourself up in a room, put on some good music and just dance all the stress away. You can also join a Bollywood or a dance fitness class so you get your time to de-stress.

Motherhood is an incredible, beautiful journey, but you know what? It sucks everything out of you. And as a mother who needs a break, it is completely normal to give yourself a little time to feel like yourself. All a break means is that you need to reconnect with who you are beyond being a mom. And if that means pursuing hobbies that give you joy then so be it.

You are a better mother with a break, a mother who feels replenished, who is no longer on the edge of losing it. Having a break not only revitalizes you, but it also gives you a chance to miss your kid, to want to come home to them and being the mom you are.

Cheers to all mommies!

Stress busting hobbies for mommies