Everymother is a working mom, but raising children while maintaining an outside career can be an incredibly daunting and isolating experience. If you’re juggling a job, child care, and trying to find time for yourself, learning how to be a working mom who thrives inallareas of life is crucial.
Keep reading to learn actionable strategies that will empower you. The working mom tips here are designed to help you today so that tomorrow, you can feel more in control, supported, and successful in every role you fill.
Common Challenges of Being a Working Mom
Being a mom is hard, regardless of the circumstances. Whether you work at a paying job or not, being a mom can be overwhelming. For working mothers, though, the demands of having a career on top of all those parental responsibilities are often consuming. You might feel like you don’t have the time, energy, or will to do what it takes to be a good momanda good employee. You may even start to believe that it’s impossible.
Online therapy for parentsBeing a parent is hard. Talk to an experienced, licensed Talkspace therapist today.Get started
Online therapy for parentsBeing a parent is hard. Talk to an experienced, licensed Talkspace therapist today.
Online therapy for parents
Being a parent is hard. Talk to an experienced, licensed Talkspace therapist today.
Get started
Arecently publishedstudy examined 20-plus years of research on motherhood. Multiple studies found there’s a widespread societal expectation that mothers who“choose”to work shouldn’t“let”their jobs interfere with family responsibilities or the time or energy they have for their kids. The simple fact is the expectations we place on moms are impossible to live up to.
These roles you play as a working parent — employee and mom — can have unique and occasionally crushing demands. Most working moms can relate to the struggles you might be going through. Balancing personal and professional lives can be stressful, full of guilt, and exhausting.
Understanding the most commonparenting challengesand how they might impact your life is key to finding a solution.
13 Expert Tips for Working Moms
It might feel impossible at times, but balancing motherhood and a career is something you can excel at. With the right coping tools and working mom tips, you can navigate the complexities of working and thrive in both areas of your life. Whether you start to delegate household responsibilities or get additional help, protecting your mental health is paramount to being the best mom and employee you can be.
Somestudies showthatthequalityof time mothers spend with their children matters more than the quantity. Here’s how to be a working mom while ensuring you’re giving your children everything they need.
1. Delegate and share the load with your partner
You don’t have to do it alone, and honestly, you shouldn’t try to. Having a partner means you can share responsibilities to maintain balance at home.
Tips:
2. Set boundaries to protect family time and your sanity
Boundaries are essential to making home and work life cohesive. Setting and sticking to them helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed or pulled in too many directions, and promotes a healthy work-life balance.
3. Master time management
Many parents struggle with time management. Don’t feel guilty if you haven’t yet mastered creating a balanced schedule that ensures you’re devoting enough time to work and home. Learning to manage your time effectively will help you avoid feeling like you’re constantly playing catch-up.
4. Ask for flexible work arrangements
If it’s not already part of company policy, ask if flexible work options are available. Employers today are more open to flexible arrangements than ever before, and alternative schedules can help you manage work and family life with more autonomy and less stress.
5. Get excellent childcare
Finding quality child care can make all the difference for working mothers. It’s important to find care that fits your schedule, budget, and parenting schedule; otherwise, it will add to your stress. You should also have a backup plan for the occasional emergency, plan change, or unavailability.
6. Build a support network
Creating a solid support network of friends, family, and other moms ensures you surround yourself with people who understand your challenges and what you’re going through, which can be comforting. A solid support system can empower you, helping with feelings of isolation orloneliness in motherhood.
7. Schedule quality family time to banish mom guilt
“An important way to tackle mom guilt is to check in with the “shoulds” you may be focusing on in your life. Are the “shoulds” actually aligned with your values as a parent or are they more about what you are comparing to others you see on social media or at school drop off. Remember comparison is the thief of joy and when you check in with yourself about what is meaningful to you as a parent for your family the “shoulds” can more easily disappear and you are left with what works for you and your family.”
8. Let go of the ‘supermom’ myth
Let’s face it. There’s no such thing as a perfect mom — the sooner we all accept this, the easier working mom life will be for everyone. Trying to do or be it all is a recipe for burnout, and it damages self-esteem and relationships with children. Not to mention, it instills an unhealthy expectation and sense of what being a parent means in your child’s psyche, so when and if they become parents one day, they’ll carry this unrealistic idea of who they should aspire to become.
“While we all know that perfect doesn’t exist it can be easy to get caught up in the perfectionistic mindset as a mom with all of the mixed messages about motherhood along with all the social media snapshots of seemingly “perfect” family lives. The reality for most families is that everyone is trying hard to juggle the demands of work and home life and to do their best to meet the needs of their children and the adults in the household and no one does it perfectly. Being able to give yourself grace that your children simply need and want to feel safe and secure in their home and spending time with you is what they will remember, not the “perfect” activity, trip, or event that you planned. Being mentally present in a messy home is better than not being mentally present in a clean one!”
9. Practice self-care without the guilt
Self-care is vital to becoming the best version of ourselves. You really can’t take care of anyone else to the best of your ability if you’re not taking care of yourself first. Remember thatself-care for parentsisn’t selfish — it’s anything but. It’s essential for both physical and emotional well-being.
“There is a common saying – “you can’t pour from an empty cup” – this is especially true for moms. Being able to take time to care for yourself and recharge, whether that is to exercise, have coffee with a friend, take a walk, or simply sit and read uninterrupted, is crucial in order to be present for your family. Setting boundaries around this time for yourself is necessary and will allow you to fill your cup!”
10. Protect your mental health with professional help
Working moms often struggle with mental health. Trying to do and balance it all is exhausting. According to somestudies, working mothers are more likely to be diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety — 42% of moms who work receive a diagnosis vs. 28% of the general population, 25% of workers without children, and 35% of fathers.
Therapy can offer valuable coping tools and tips, but for a busy mom who is already struggling to balance everything, the traditional in-person practice can be one more thing that addsmom stress. Online therapy, like Talkspace offers, can be the solution overwhelmed moms have been searching for.
11. Teach your kids independence
12. Have backup plans to tackle life’s challenges
If there’s one thing you can count on in life, it’s that life is unpredictable. For working moms, having a reliable backup plan is critical. A predetermined Plan B offers you peace of mind so you can stay focused on the now instead of constantly feeling dread and worrying about thewhat-ifs.
13. Celebrate your wins, big and small
Celebratingallyour wins as a working mom is important — even the small ones. Whether you finally finished that work project, survived an unusually hectic week, or just made it through a challenging day, acknowledging your success and celebrating your accomplishments is essential.
Find Support as You Balance Work and Motherhood
Balancing motherhood and work is even harder, but it’s worth the effort when it pays off with a happier home life and a productive, successful professional life. Whether you become better at leaning on friends and family when you need help, or you seek professional mental health support, there are many effective ways you can learn how to be a working mom who thrives. The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to do this on your own.
If you’re overwhelmed, overworked, or over-stressed, professional therapy can help you manage. A qualified therapist will show you how to be successful at work and as a mom, while still finding time to take care of yourself along the way.
Talkspace offers convenient therapy options that fit into the schedule of a busy working mom.Online therapyensures you get the clinical support you need without demanding any more time away from your family. Whether you prefer messaging, live video sessions, or phone calls, Talkspace’s approach to therapy means you have access to mental health support on your terms, and you can do it from the comfort of your home.
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