Are More Tired Than Usual? You Aren’t Alone.
Hey mama, have you been more tired than normal lately?
I have been too.
Some may say that it’s irrational to be tired while in isolation.
However, as the weeks in isolation continue i have been finding my energy depleting tremendously. I’m not sure if it’s just motherhood, at home in isolation, anxiety and emotions, or a combo of all piling up.
Lately, i have been more tired than my usual self. So i have been thinking about what i can do to help myself and my emotions because they have been all over the place.
& i know im not alone which had me thinking about what i could write about and say to help shine some light where i can.
First things first, you are not alone. I can not stress it enough how important it is to understand that you really aren’t alone. Regardless if it just feels like we are or not, we are truly never alone. Even in our struggles.
So many of us are doing our absolute best to adjust to the times of this pandemic. It isn’t abnormal that our tanks may be starting to run dry. The unknown is always scary. & this isn’t something our society has ever experienced before.
In other words, give yourself a lot of grace right now.
Check out “How To Do Your Best When You Don’t Feel Your Best” right here.
Mentally, physically, and emotionally, it all just feels really draining and we all feel really tired.
So many of us have been more than ready to get social distancing over with and to feel some normalcy back into our lives. The truth of the matter is that life may never be what it once was before COVID-19. & that’s something we will all have to learn how to adjust to over time.
Assess the stress you are feeling by recognizing what’s real and what isn’t.
Just the stress of COVID-19 alone is enough to deplete your body of energy. Let alone dealing with the copilot of stress which is anxiety.
Are you a bad mom? No. Will the kids be ruined if you aren’t on your A game every day? Also no. Is your mental health a priority? Absolutely.
Allow yourself space to feel what you need to feel but don’t let the feelings control you and your happiness.
Emotions can quickly become our reality if we let them. Stress is an energy sponge & paired with anxiety, it can make you feel more tired than usual. The bad news? Anxiety also festers in isolation.
However, there is good news. We can choose to be grateful for all that we can instead of allowing anxiety to take over our motherhood journey.
Put more thought into what you know to be true rather than putting all your thoughts into just how you feel.
Your feelings don’t always tell the truth, remember that.
Don’t spend too much time stressing about the things that are out of your hands. The things we have no control over have the tendency to replay in our thoughts & ultimately they take our focus off of what is real. Our emotions want to take control over us and if we let them they will.
Focus on what you can do to make a difference for someone else. It could be as simple as a text message to make another person smile and to let them know that you thought about them. Be a listening ear to someone who is overwhelmed. Small acts of kindness makes a huge difference in the way we feel about ourselves.
Plus, we need to be there for one another.
Don’t add any pressure on yourself or your kids. I have been reading this on every social media platform that i have. So many of us moms are adding more pressure on ourselves than necessary right now. It’s OK to not be productive right now. & its more than OK to take a nap. So let yourself take a nap!
Our kids are fairly resilient, yes. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t feeling the stress like we are; they just may show it differently.
Not going to school has been hard enough for my kids, so pressuring them to focus on school at home when that isn’t what they are used to, isn’t something i have wanted to do.
& i have had to not be so hard on myself for how messy my house has been because im so not used to having everyone home 24/7.
I’m used to having a break from home every now and then, and so are my kids.
I am learning to be OK with the mess & the constant noise & not beating myself up for it. I’m thankful my kids are happy & well and really that’s what matters most to me right now. Someday we will miss these days more than anything. Choose joy over guilt.
Take it one day at a time.
Some days may be better than others. The major effect of anxiety that i have noticed is that it is never consistent. Right now more than ever, we have more time in our thoughts than we are used to. So that means that any negative thoughts and emotions that we have never dealt with are bringing themselves back up to the surface.
Take care of your mind, body, & soul.
Negative emotions breed on more negativity. Don’t be so hard on yourself and the choice you are making to take time to process. Give yourself grace & choose to express your emotions in a healthy way. Emotions follow healthy thinking just as much as they follow unhealthy thinking. Just because you are tired does not mean you are worthless.
Take time to pray everyday. There is no right or wrong way and no perfect time of the day to pray. You can pray at literally any moment and in any fashion & God will always hear you. Read your bible, meditate, journal, whatever you have to do to find confidence in times of chaos & to remember who is ultimately in control.
Most importantly, rest if you feel like you need to rest. You are tired for a reason.
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