WAHM Stress Support
Relieving Stress Effectively
Here you will find WAHM stress support. Choosing to work from home so you can be at home to raise your children yourself is a huge sacrifice that should not be minimized. Finding balance in life and with stress is key to being successful and happy at the same time. Below you will find some sound advice on how to bring balance to a stressful position.
What is a WAHM?
WAHM is a common term to describe a work-at-home mom. WAHM's typically are entrepreneurs who choose to run their business from home. Many moms and work-at-home dads choose to run businesses from home for a variety of different reasons. Whether it is due to personal health limitations; wanting to eliminate commuting and business expenses; or simply wanting the flexibility to take care of your own children to save on childcare costs and to provide a richer quality of life for your children and yourself; being a work-at-home parent is always a very personal choice. Although this section is focused on the moms, I want to be sure to say that we welcome the work-at-home dad's too!
WAHM and Stress!
Although being a WAHM is very rewarding, it is full of challenges and not without it's generous amount of stress. There are some things to remember when dealing with WAHM stress:
1. Remember why you chose to become a work-at-home mom! Your personal reasons have an amazing ability to keep things in proper perspective.
2. When you feel overwhelmed remember that BALANCE IS KEY! Whenever the work-at-home scale is too heavy on one side or the other, it is time to do some prioritizing. Depending on the age(s) of your children will depend on the amount of attention they will need during the day. Learn to make the most of young children's naptimes. It helps to find set times of day in their schedule so you can make a a routine for yourself. For example, young children usually take naps and have early bedtimes. These times can be most effective and cause you the least amount of stress. Older children are more flexible and that will in turn give you more flexibility.
3. Children always come first! Even if you have a lot to do, you make the decision early on to put them first no matter what. When children get the necessary attention from their parent(s) they are usually more content with life and better behaved. For Example: Trying to work while your child is playing with another child may present stressful situations because you will inevitably have to help them solve their relational issues with each other. Being stressed due to these kinds of interruptions will create a lot of stress with yourself as well as your child. Children can sense when adults have little or no tolerance and this creates in them a sense of insecurity. Don't work while you are needed, unless of course you have good stress management skills and you can handle the interruptions.
4. Consider finding other WAHM's that also have children. Consider creating play-dates where you can take someone else's children for the afternoon and then switch with someone else another day. Taking turns swapping kids for play-dates helps each of you get some good quality, alone, work-time. A four hour stretch on uninterrupted work-time allows you to get more done then trying to squeeze in an hour or minutes at a time. Working together with other work-at-home-moms' benefits everyone. Even the children will look forward to seeing friends and having a change of atmosphere to play in.
5. Do something special once a day with your children. Children get more out of having special set time with you, even if it's only 30 minutes of one-on-one interaction. Being together alone brings a lot of joy. It is important to keep a strong bond with your child and to stay connected. Having special activities set aside once a day besides the everyday things you do, creates a sense of excitement and anticipation. Sometimes having something to look forward to, makes the routine days extra special. Not only does this make your child feel loved and appreciated but it helps you to feel loved and appreciated by your child. Being able to step away from your work is stress relieving and rejuvenating. It can give you a new sense of energy upon returning to your usual schedule.
6. Use your stress management tips and techniques! Don't forget them! They are the very thing that will help you from stepping into anxiety and burnout stages.
7. Make time for adult communication and time out! Children often need time out's but adults do too...especially when children are young and very demanding. Whether it is for a short time everyday or once a week, you know the needs you have. It is not uncommon for everyone to be different in this area. All that matters is that you keep in touch with your spouse and your friends. There is a tremendous amount of stress relief found through communicating and staying connected!
Share Your WAHM Experience
By telling your story, you are helping others see that they are not alone. Share Your Story Today!
Want to be a WAHM?
Perhaps you're not a WAHM but want to be....maybe you already are a stay-at-home mom looking for extra income and looking for ideas on what would be best for you....or perhaps you work outside the home and want to transition to working inside the home and need ideas on how to do that. No matter what your position is, if you want to become a work-at-home-mom it is truly possible for you to make this a reality in your life.
Of all the the websites out there promising you this or that.... this is one program that I want to share with you that is "all that". One of my favorite WAHM solutions is called Site-Build-It (SBI)- also known as SiteSell. When I first learned about SBI, I was amazed at the possibilities and the creative flexibility this program provides. If you have been looking for creative ways to use the internet to start your own business...this free e-book is for you!
click here to start reading WAHM-IT! The Masters Course (or right click and save this e-book to your desktop!)
SBI also offers an Online Video Tour explaining things from beginning to end....so go grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax and watch now.
