A recent study commissioned by Welch’s (yes, the grape juice people) of 2,000 moms with kids aged 5-12 found that the average working mom clocked in 98 hours of “work” per week. They found that the average mom’s “work” day began at 6:23am and didn’t end until 8:31pm.
I bet that isn’t surprising to any of you, is it? Even if you don’t work outside the home, a mom’s work is never ending. While it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tasks to be completed and things to stay on top of, here are two things to remember so that you are able to manage family life without losing your mind and avoiding burnout:
#1 // PUT YOUR BLINDERS ON
Always keep in mind that God gives us all a lane to stay in, so keep your blinders on so your eyes aren’t tempted to “see” what others are doing in their lane. A race horse wears blinders for this very reason. A race horse is trained to run his race and stay in his lane. Same goes for us as moms. This concept is easy to say but hard to do. It is easy to say, “I’m not going to compare myself to others" or "I'll be content with what I’m doing or my life circumstance.” But, then you scroll through social media and you find yourself feeling like you are not measuring up, or you aren’t doing enough. That is the enemy’s tactic to distract us from the race God has set out for us to run.
Run your own race! What this may look like is: your best friend meal plans a month at a time. Good for her. Or maybe you’ve got a co-worker with kids in all kinds of sports who also sings in the church choir and has a husband who does all the laundry. Good for her. Momma, stay in your lane, and “look well to the ways of YOUR household.” (Proverbs 31:27, NASB) Realize what works for others may not work for your family and vice versa, and that is okay! Everyone has to do what works for them.
#2 // EVALUATE YOUR HOUSEHOLD
Listen, I could be really specific and say, “be organized," "get on a schedule.” "meal prep every Sunday,” etc. But at the end of the day, you may not be wired that way, and my words would only bring more stress into your life.
Take some time to figure YOUR household out, then lead from there.
- What household tasks stress you out most? Can you figure out why?
- Could you ask for help there or maybe even outsource it in some way?
- What day of the week or time of day doesn't seem to be working well for your family?
- Can you pinpoint something you need to let go of or something you could add in to help you out?
I am not naturally an organized person, but I live with a VERY organized person. I have had to figure myself out and work from my strengths. If you play to your strengths, you’re more likely to maintain a routine or a habit and avoid the burnout that comes from trying to do it all like superwoman.
Just so you know, Superwoman is not real. You can’t do it all, give yourself grace as a mom. You are doing a good job!
WANT TO AVOID BURNOUT IN THE NEW YEAR?
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MEET THE AUTHOR
Karen Stubbs is an author, speaker, podcaster, and mother to four adult children. In 2011, she founded the ministry Birds on a Wire to equip mothers so they can parent with confidence.
When Karen was a young mom, her husband was often away from home serving as a fighter pilot during Operation Desert Storm. During those years, Karen grew in her reliance on God. Today, Karen is passionate about challenging moms to invite God into their journey of motherhood.
Birds on a Wire reaches tens of thousands of moms each month through their podcast, Wire Talk, which answers practical questions about the everyday difficulties moms face.
WHO WE ARE
The Life of a Single Mom is a national, faith-based, nonprofit that exists to see that no single mom walks alone. To date, the organization has worked with hundreds of churches to start a single mom’s support group in cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as having served hundreds of thousands of single mothers with a variety of programs. Offering a large array of books, curriculum, training materials, online instructional videos, podcasts, newsletters, life skills education, and more, TLSM is one of the largest single mom organizations in the U.S. The robust selection of single mom programs focus on empowering single moms to grow spiritually, emotionally, financially, and parentally through Single Mom University, Single Moms Across America, the National TLSM Single Moms Conference, boot camps, and a variety of other programs. For more information, visit thelifeofasinglemom.com.
