Reading Time: 3 minutes 3 Simple Ways to be a Happier Mom
This post may contain affiliate links. Read the disclosure.
Having a child brings an immense amount of joy into your life. There is no doubt that motherhood is incredibly fulfilling, but parenting also comes with higher levels of stress. You’ll find your feelings swing wildly from one moment to the next as you pivot from the happy go lucky child devouring a banana to the screeching child who just decided they actually hate bananas. Despite the challenges of motherhood, happy moms make happy children, meaning both you and your family reap enormous benefits by focusing on a few simple ways to be a happier mom.
3 Simple Ways to be a Happier Mom
Start Your Day with Gratitude
One of the most refreshing ways to be a happier mom is to start your day off with gratitude. Harvard Health shared the research of two psychologists from the University of Miami who studied the effects of gratitude. They found that participants who journaled weekly about positive things they’d experienced felt better about their lives and were more optimistic than those who didn’t. Start your day off by thinking about one thing you’re grateful for and let that be your focus for just a few moments.
Connect More with Friends and Loved Ones
Motherhood is incredibly isolating, but connecting more with friends and loved ones is a powerful way to increase your happiness. Schedule time to visit with family or go out with other moms for kid-free solidarity, and make sure to put it on the calendar so everyone knows it is a top priority. If you’re at home with your partner, make an effort to reconnect and spend time alone after the kids go to bed. You might simply snuggle up to binge watch your favorite show with popcorn and a giant bowl of your favorite ice cream or subscribe to a date night subscription box and work through each month’s activities together.
Regularly Spend Time Reflecting
Self-reflection is not only essential to your personal growth, but it is a habit of the happiest moms. Make time to be alone with your thoughts. Spend this time filling out a journal, pursuing a creative hobby, creating gratitude lists, or updating and organizing your planner. It’s less important what you do as that you do it. If you’re out of energy at the end of your day, try waking up 30-45 minutes before your earliest riser. Spend that time sipping your coffee, enjoying the silence, and reflecting.
Rachel is an Austin blogger, educator, mom, wife, young breast cancer survivor writing about health, saving money, and living a happy life in Austin, Texas.
Rachel has written for HuffPost and Hometalk and has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, and CBS Austin.