The demands on women these days are exceedingly greater and greater. It’s no longer unusual for the woman of the house to be the main breadwinner. Not that the men are staying home with the kids, but that women are now able to bring home higher salaries than 20 years ago.
Since staying home with the kids is a difficult situation to accomplish most families are double income families. Which is necessary just to survive. But what about the stress that a woman, a mom undertakes in this situation. Not only are they working 40-60 hours a week, they are cooking, cleaning, helping kids with homework, making sure they eat right, keeping them away from the wrong TV shows/movies, worrying if they sent a sick kid to school because they had to be at work that day AND trying to be a good wife. Admittedly, married men do help around the house. However, a study by ISR researchers discovered that American men do approximately 16 hours of housework a week compared to women who do approximately 27 hours.
So what can a working mom do to relieve some of the stress that pounds her on a daily basis One of the best stress reducers is exercise. I found that a 30 minutes exercise over my lunch hour reduced my daily stress AND took my concentration on what I was having for lunch, therefore allowing me to eat less in the process. After a quick lunch workout I was in a better mood and could handle problems with more ease. In order to accomplish this you have to either have a gym at work or close to work. If that is not possible a simple, fast paced 30 minute walk will also help reduce stress. You can walk outside around the block, or simply walk the halls of your building, using the stairs as much as possible.
It’s also a good idea to ask your spouse to take one or two nights a week and be responsible for dinner and /or putting the kids to bed. There’s also no reason why he can’t do the same one or two mornings a week and get the kids up and ready for school to give you a break. Sometimes that’s not possible with work schedules, but if it is, talk to him about it. And those nights he’s dealing with the kids and bedtime rituals, you can go and take a candlelit bubble bath.
Taking time to spend on yourself is key to stress relief. Get a manicure, it’s not that expensive. Get a friend or two and make a monthly or bi-monthly date for dinner or a day at the spa, if you can’t afford that, then meet them at the mall and go window shopping.
Our economy and lifestyle requirements dictate that we have a two family income structure. We like two cars, cable tv, vacations, computers, cell phones, ipods for the kids. The list goes on and on. So stress is a daily part of our lives. That doesn’t mean we have to suffer through it. Find an outlet that you enjoy and stick to it. You will be happier AND healthier for it.
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