7 ways to take back your sanity

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May 15 8:03 PM posted by author Guest Contributor

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Friend of Ricki Christine Trice: Somewhere between that blissful moment when you hold your baby for the first time, and that moment of chairing fundraiser #37 for your child’s school, lies that inevitable moment that marks the official end of all things sane. While we can’t pinpoint when, we can ask the question, “Why?”

Why do mothers feel this immense obligation to conquer the world one over-committed project at a time?  Why, oh why can’t we just say “no”?

We are the Sandwich Generation:  taking care of kids, our parents and seldom ourselves.  We wear too many hats and spin into a controlled chaos, justifying our need to do it all because it’s just easier that way (see: control freak). We actually convince ourselves that if we delegate, we lose control of the final outcome and risk redoing it ourselves anyway – sound familiar?

The daily grind probably wouldn’t seem as taxing if we weren’t so over committed.  New moms, heed my warning:  The first time you volunteer in your child’s preschool class with that little art project you think is so cute and fun, you will from that moment forward be branded as the room mom.  And there’s NO turning back.  

How do you reclaim yourself in all this madness?  Find that little piece of self that’s buried somewhere under the pile of papers on the kitchen counter. Show yourself a little love so you can be present and in a good space for your family.  (Psst: Start small, but commit to doing something for YOU every single day. )

Check out the suggestions below. But keep in mind that with anything new, it takes time for it to become a habit.  Consider this the training period for the manchild, spawn and yourself – it takes time but will leave you all happier and more empowered.

7 Ways to Take Back Your Sanity

• Wear your fave shade of gloss every day

• Make a date with a girlfriend & leave the kids behind! 

• Repeat after me: DELEGATE.  Pass the chore baton to the unwilling and very able 

• GO ON A DATE 

• Block one day each month off the family calendar where you are available only to yourself

• Set boundaries and stick to them 

• LEARN TO SAY NO (People will like you just the same)

Can’t get out of the house to meet up with friends? Go online. Social media is a beautiful thing.  Not only can you K.I.T. with your BFFs from past and present, but you can also connect with like-minded women and share your rants without persecution.  There are social groups for just about anything you can think of.  Connecting with our peers in a nonjudgmental platform is a very healthy social outlet and can help keep us sane!  Just know that you’re not alone in this controlled chaos of motherhood.  If it were uneventful you wouldn’t have anything to laugh about later at the dinner table.

Christine Trice is the Founder & Chief Bad Ass of OMG I So Need A Glass of Wine Or I'm Gonna Sell My Kids.  Entrepreneur, mom of two girls and four furbabies, wife to one, the serial over-committer is passionate about her family, wine, philanthropy, wine, dog rescue, SUP and of course, wine.  She believes that you haven't lived until you've danced naked in a thunderstorm.  You can find her paddling the American River most any day that the sun rises with her dog, Molly.