When Mom Life Feels Exhausting

I don’t write this to take exhaustion lightly. If you struggle with exhaustion related to illness or depression, please seek help. If you are a mom struggling with occasional exhaustion from all the demands placed upon you, read on. 

Sometimes…life is exhausting.

You know who knows this fact better than anyone? Moms.

Moms are the ones trying to keep a million balls in the area – for themselves, their husband, their kids and too many others.

Moms are the ones mentally keeping to do lists of everything that needs to be done while cooking breakfast, holding a crying baby and practicing memory work for school.

Moms (especially moms of little ones) are running on a serious lack of sleep but are still the first ones up every morning.

Moms juggle the cleaning, the cooking, the grocery shopping, the clothes shopping, the laundry and the meal planning – because it is just what we do.

And if you are working another job, outside of the home or from home? That just adds another layer of complications to everything!

Most days, we can handle it. But some days? Let’s admit it.

Life is exhausting.

Mom life is wonderful but it also wonderfully exhausting. 

I’ve had a stretch of days like these recently. Sure, some of it might be due to the fact that I’m 16 weeks pregnant with my 4th child – and have a 5, 3 and 1 year old to keep up with too. But still, it’s made me think about all we try to do as moms and how exhausting it is.

Some days, I try to power through and other days, I take a power nap instead.

Some days, I feel motivated to tackle it all and other days, I want to pull the covers over my head and ignore it all.

Some days, I accomplish a lot and other days, I feel like I accomplish nothing.

We all have some days and other days like these. 

The answer comes in remembering that we will have days that are productive and days that are exhausting.

Exhaustion often comes in waves and in specific seasons.

Let’s be honest with ourselves.

We can’t do it all and we are going to be exhausted at times.

We will have good days and not so good days. Motivated days and unmotivated days. 

We are doing the best we can, one day at a time.

It’s easy to look at another mom and wonder why we can’t do it all like she can.

The truth? She’s not doing it all either. And she’s also tired.

We shouldn’t live our lives in exhaustion so let’s work at knowing our limits.

Maybe you are going to tackle a bunch of chores today but after the kids go to bed, you are going to bed early too.

Maybe you are going to use grocery pick-up to save you some time at the grocery store so you can cross something off your list in a fraction of the time.

Maybe you are going to nap when the baby naps, even if it means leaving some chores undone.

Maybe it simply means remembering that some days are going to exhaust us, but a new day with a fresh start will come tomorrow.

What can you do when life is exhausting? 

Take a moment to sit still.

Make a list. Brain dump and give yourself an action plan. Prioritize.

Take a nap. Go to bed early.

Do the next thing. 

Drink some coffee. Eat some chocolate. Drink more water.

Leave some chores for tomorrow.

Determine what your good enough is. 

Read a book or watch a Netflix show.

Load the dishwasher or clear a counter of clutter.

Do what you need to do to re-energize yourself.

I don’t have all the answers. No mom does.

We simply do the best we can, day in and day out.

Embrace the joyfully days as well as the exhausting ones – some of which are the same.

And if you feel exhausted today? Know you are not alone.

Take a deep breathe and hang in there. You’ve got this. This feeling will pass, and until it does?

Just keeping doing what you can do – whether it’s a lot or a little today. Just do what you can do, and call it good for now.

What do you do when your mom life feels exhausting?