Being completely transparent, we looked at a list created by See Mama Go. They gave ideas for the habits that they think happy moms possess. Or habits that can increase happiness. We talked about their list on our podcast titled “Secrets of Happy Moms” and gave our own take on what makes us happy as moms.
- Learn to recognize when you need help, AND THEN ask for help!
- Eat the best you can, whatever that looks like for you. Some days it might mean eating all organic home cooked meals. And some days it might mean Cheerios and dino nuggets. Give yourself grace and feed the mama too.
- Sleep the best you can, and as much as you can.
- IF waking before your kids makes you happy or less stressed, do it! IF sleeping as long as you possibly can makes you happy, give yourself the grace to sleep until your child(ren) wakes up.
- Get out of the house!! Outdoors in the fresh air as much as possible. Or go to the mall, the library, coffee house, etc if the weather makes it difficult to get out. Getting outside of the house makes such a difference to your physical, mental, emotional health.
- Have friends!! It’s essential to have friends to talk to, and hang out with, during the low places and high places of parenthood. Take the time to maintain friendships even if it means putting in earbuds and talking to a friend while you walk, or do dishes, or whatever.
- Exercise! (Bonus points if you exercise with a friend and hit two points on the list!) Moving your body will get your blood flowing, it will clear your mind, and help you feel better. Do what you can. A walk around the block counts. Chasing your toddler around the house counts. 5 squats in the kitchen while making dinner counts. Just try to move your body as much as you can.
- Plan vacations. Plan family vacations and parent vacations. Both are important for different reasons. And both give you something to look forward to as well as something to reminisce about later.
- Alone time for Mum! Even though being a mom can be isolating, having some time just for you can increase your happiness.
- Be flexible with family rules. Let things safely slide and have fun! Stay up a little later, eat dessert before dinner, whatever makes you happy.
- Set some goals for yourself. Having something to work for is helpful. Partnering with God in your goal setting helps so much too. Even Khloe Kardashian recognizes that we need to let God set our plans instead of just making our own goals. She famously said “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans” (emphasis mine)
- Laugh and be silly!! Duh, laughing makes us feel happy. Try to laugh every day. Kids are funny, but on the days when they don’t seem funny, try chatting with a funny friend or even watching a bit of a comedy act on Netflix or YouTube or your favorite funny movie.
- Limit Social Media. As much as you can. It’s hard. But it does help our happiness to limit our exposure to social media. Of course, if going to mumspeakpodcast on Instagram for a short period will help you remember you are part of a village and we’ve got you, then pop in and come see us 😉
- Don’t compete with each other. This goes along with social media. You don’t have to look like other moms on social media, and you don’t have to do what they do. Often the posts we see are unrealistic (we have no idea what the behind the scenes looks like). And for sure don’t listen to commenters, especially anonymous commenters, that think they need to tell you how to live your life.
- Keep your house clean(ish) but not perfectly spotless. Let your home look relaxed and lived in. Let it be the place that people want to be, and don’t have to worry about making a mess.
- Mom Stories. Telling our stories to each other makes us feel connected and heard, and happy.
- Self care. Do take time, even if it’s just a minute, to do something for you.
- Understand you are not perfect. You aren’t. You won’t be. Let perfection go, and you will see your happiness increase.
We have our children for such a short period of time. Eighteen years is sort of the average, and it sounds long at the beginning and short at the end. So maybe just choose one of the above 18 points to focus on each year. That is not to say that you won’t do any of the other things on the list, but maybe just choose one as a focus. And always give yourself the grace to get it wrong once in a while.
We think you’re pretty amazing, keep being great! We hope you will find even more happiness in motherhood!!
