Self Improvement Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms (SAHMs)

     Being a stay-at-home mom in reality is a lot more complicated than it sounds. The name connotes an impression of a mother who has all the time in the world to tend to her family and home without the rigours of hurrying to work early and returning home late. This is hardly the case. Societal expectations have made it to that a stay-at-home mom must always give of herself without a care about her own existence. But always being on the giving end means that you will run dry because you have not taken the time to fill yourself. This is a dangerous place to be.

     When I first began my journey as a stay-at-home-mom, I thought I would have too much time on my hands and nothing to do with it but I was mistaken. I found out that at the end of each day I still had a lot to do and none of it had anything to do with doing something for myself.  From cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, shopping for groceries, running other errands, hospital visits... I'm sure you can relate. Do you often wonder what you did with the time at the end of the day? You are not alone. .

     Accompanying the endless demand for more of you is the realisation that you have forgotten about yourself. It seems you have become stagnant - no growth, no improvement, non-existent social life, no wages, zero goals attained (did you even have time to make those?) and the realisation that your hopes and dreams have been pushed back into the far recesses of your mind. You look at your reflection in the mirror and you wonder what happened to you. You got caught up being everything to everyone else but yourself. This can make any mom become irritable and feel shortchanged. If this is your experience, keep reading.

What no one told you about being a stay-at-home-mom

     You began staying at home with your kids so you would have time to raise them intentionally but you were not aware of the quiet danger lurking in the shadows. You decided to forgo your wages, status, contacts and truthfully you did not think much about letting them go. That is until bitterness crept in from feeling you got the short end of the stick. You become bitter because you lost  your sense of self-worth which had a lot to do with how society rates you as a working lady. Anger also joins the chorus stemming from the fact that you are giving every thing to raise the next generation and the world barely notices let alone rewards you for it. This awful situation can make you become resentful and if that happens, the purpose of you staying at home with your kids has been defeated. 

What is self-improvement?

    It is taking conscious, active and deliberate steps to make yourself better by developing your capabilities and improving the quality of your life. No one can do this for you. It only succeeds when you have an innate desire to live a better life and actually follow through with actions.

Why you need to improve yourself

It is the only way you would find your role as a stay-at-home-mom fulfilling. You will have a renewed sense of self- worth and be happy and fulfilled. You will begin to feel like you are headed somewhere and you are doing something worthwhile. Being a mom can be a fulfilling role when we begin to find ways to be better at it. Do not make the mistake of hoping you will be recognised for it, just do you and enjoy it to the full. Let's discuss some ways we can put a spring in your steps and renew your spirit to enjoy your life as a stay-at-home mom..

Self improvement tips

• Work out a routine and stick to it. Emergencies may arise but it will not be a daily affair. A routine will give you a feeling of being in control of your time and your home will run smoothly too.
• Read books and blog posts about things that interest you. You could also dabble into writing yourself. We all have knowledge and experience to share with the world. It will challenge you and you will not be so boring anymore.
• Find a new way to make income working from home. There are many ideas for moms at home to make money, choose the one that works for you. There are a few things more fulfilling than making your own money.
• Form connections with other moms and discuss ways you can pool resources to help each other. 
• Spend time in prayer and develop your relationship with God. Be more active in church, your kids will also benefit from being around other children apart from their school mates. 
• Devise ways to make your time spent at home more rewarding and stop looking for ways to flee your home for a while. Play music while you work, rest often and keep your thoughts on the positive side.
• Learn something new from time to time, could be a new language, cooking recipe, arts and crafts, painting or pick up a new hobby.
• Eat healthy, work out regularly and sleep well too.

     When you begin to implement the tips above, you will find yourself becoming more interesting, happy and content. You will also open up your family to new experiences. Note that you cannot cram it all in one day, give yourself time to grow, adapt and change along the way. Remember that balance and moderation is key to being a revitalised stay-at-home mom. Thank you for reading and please share this post and follow us on Pinterest and Facebook. Thank you.