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Working Mama

5 Strategies to Reduce the Stress of Motherhood

By Victoria Smith

Stress is on the rise, particularly with women. But, I don’t need to tell you that, do I? Intuitively, we feel overwhelmed. From acting as a perpetual chauffeur to coordinating play dates, or from healthy meal planning to juggling sick days and attempting to work from home, motherhood is stressful. Here’s the deal, though, it can be less stressful when you have the right tools, strategies and mindset in place.

Before we get into five strategies that you can implement immediately, we need to start with mindset. If you think your day is going to be stressful, it will, because that’s how you’ve primed your brain. You’ve given it the signal to find evidence of stress wherever you look. To counter this, what I want you to do is start every day by setting an intention. Believe me, I know that if you wake with the kids, it can be hard to find a moment for that, so a fall back can be to write out your intention and set it next to your alarm clock. What should that intention be? I put it back to you – how would you like your day to go? For example, my daily intention is to show up as an engaged parent, wife and friend, and a Rockstar entrepreneur. Yours could be to a search for gratitude. Or to be mindful. The intention is personal to your needs and desires, but set one and start each day reminding yourself of it. Only then will the following strategies take real effect.

1. Stop comparing yourself to other moms

It is so easy to get into a shame-spiral of how you are performing as a mother when your friends or Insta-community are throwing Pinterest-perfect parties for a two year-old. Or maybe you pick
up your child from daycare only to find out that they’ve bitten another child – of course it would be the most well-behaved child of the seemingly put together momma. We are all on our own  motherhood journeys. We all have our own past, our own challenges, and our own beliefs to grapple with. Just because you do things differently doesn’t mean you’re doing them worse. First step if you find yourself in this comparison black hole? Take a social media break. If the comparison is coming from in-person interactions, before each encounter remind yourself that you are doing the best with what you have, and your kids are well-loved. Because at the end of the day, your child won’t care about the perfect party or baked goods or that they were potty trained a year before all the other kids. They’ll remember time spent one-on-one with you, the cuddles and bedtime stories. Presence and love matter most.

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10 Questions with Dr. Stephanie Liu

Each month, we play 10 questions with one of the Alberta’s most interesting mamas. This month we hear from Dr. Stephanie Liu who completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary and subsequently completed a Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition at Columbia University in New York City. Her medical school and residency in Family Medicine were completed at the University of Alberta. Currently, she practices community family medicine and acute care at the University of Alberta Hospital.

Five months ago, she started Lifeofdrmom.com, a website providing families with medically credible parenting and health advice. Dr. Liu is wife to Graeme, an ENT surgeon and mommy to Madi, her sweet and spunky toddler.

1. What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job at the University of Alberta Hospital?

I practice inpatient family medicine at the University of Alberta Hospital and have a community family medicine practice in south west Edmonton. I love both inpatient and community medicine and find them both very rewarding for different reasons. In my  community family practice, I am fortunate to develop a long term relationship with my patients over months and years. The physician-patient relationship is so important to ensure that patients can meet their long term health related goals. In inpatient family medicine, it is extremely rewarding to help a patient return home to their friends and family after a critical illness.  In both settings, I work with an amazing interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals

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Get Outside and Walk

Walk anyone?

We recently shared a blog about Edmonton’s River Valley being the best running spot in Canada.

Now, maybe you don’t run but what about a walk?

I’ve been making a habit of going for a walk with a friend every weekend I can. Alberta is an hiking, walking, running playground. We’ve even got some suggestions for you here.

Here’s why I head outside – with a friend!

  • Ummm nature is beautiful.
  • Sunshine and fresh air are good for you!
  • Exercise! Walking will lower your risk of heart disease and stroke – Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada  
  • I sleep better – probably both the fresh air and the exercise!
  • It’s FREE….well, we do usually buy a cup of joe to take with us.
  • It is good for my emotional well being. We spend the whole time talking, venting, catching up – it feels like a form of therapy.

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#MomCrushMonday – Contributor Rachelle

WAHM/D, SAHM/D, Work out of the home or other?

Both a Stay at Home mom and an entrepreneur mom running my business called Momentum Health & Wellness.

# of Kids? Ages?

I have 3 daughters: 6 year old and 4 year old twins! I’m not sure who’s going to need a holiday when they are teenagers … my husband or myself!

What movie makes you cry?

The Notebook makes me cry every time!

Tell us about a mom/dad who inspires you?

My mom inspired me.

She passed away from a brain tumour when I was 7 years old. I don’t have a lot of memories of her, but what I do remember is that she was a strong, kind and loving lady who fought till the bitter end for her life and still made time for her 5 children despite having cancer.  So on the days where I feel like I’m failing or struggling, I think of her strength and realize life is too short to worry about the small things and to live each day to its fullest.

What’s the fondest memory you have of your life as a mom/dad so far? The biggest challenge?

My fondest memory of being a mom so far is watching my daughters grow. Watching them learn new skills, observing how they solve a problem on their own and listening to their giggles when they play a new game they made up!

My greatest challenge being a mom so far is parenting 3 children differently. No one warns you about this when you decide to have more than 1 child!!

Would you rather be able to see 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes into the future of anyone but yourself? Why?

I wouldn’t see 10 minutes into the future of myself or anyone else.  I am trying to be more present with my life and live for right now, in this moment, and appreciate all the little things around me.

You and your oldest child switch bodies for an hour. What do they do? What do you do?

If my oldest daughter (6 year old) and I would switch bodies for an hour, she would make herself a hot chocolate with all the marshmallows she could fit in the cup, drive my vehicle to the nearest 7-11 and buy herself a slurpee, then she would would pick her own show to watch in my bedroom. (She was pretty happy to answer that question!

I would colour a picture, ask for a snack and take a nap!

 

Rachelle Howse is a mom to 3 young girls and owner of Momentum Health and Wellness in Edmonton, Alberta. She has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and over 12 years of experience in the fitness industry working as a Certified Exercise Physiologist and Pre & Post Natal Fitness Specialist. She started her company to inspire and educate others about fitness and wellness. Her goal is to create a community of prenatal and postnatal women who support one another through their health and wellness journey as well as educating families on the importance of creating a healthy environment at home and being a positive role model for their children. 

Visit Rachelle atwww.momentumhealthandwellness.ca, reach out to her at rachelle@momentumhealthandwellness.ca, and follow her on Facebook or Instagram for motivation and inspiration!

#MomCrushMonday – Contributor Suzanne Pescod

WAHM/D, SAHM/D, Work out of the home or other?

Work out of home – Marketing & Communications Director for all of Alberta’s Ronald McDonald Houses

# of Kids? Ages?

1 Beautiful 16 Month Old Daughter 

What movie makes you cry?

Life As a House, Homeward Bound, Toy Story 3 (all three — like tsunami of tear)

 

Tell us about a mom/dad who inspires you?

My mom – I cannot imagine how much energy she exerted when she was raising myself and my brothers. She was (and is) endlessly creative, allowed us to RUN FREE (she didn’t even bother putting furniture in our living room for five years – we just played in there instead.) But she also has strong morals – and a very strong sense of helping others. 

What’s the fondest memory you have of your life as a mom/dad so far? The biggest challenge?

I’m going to cry typing this but – holding my daughter as soon as the c-section was over. I cried, I whimpered, I couldn’t believe that she was in my arms after a very long pregnancy journey. It was completely overwhelming and even now the pure emotion of it can stop me in my tracks. 

The other memories always involve how much I love to hear her laugh and chatter. And the way she can give hugs – I can picture a few of those very special moments an done of my greatest wishes is that I will be able to picture them for many, many years. Coming to get her when she wakes up in the morning or at nap time – her cheesy grin plastered across that precious face – and thinking to myself “I cannot believe she is mine”. 

The biggest challenge has been coming to terms with the vulnerability it takes to be a parent. Your heart and soul is now out in the world and you cannot protect them (nor do you want to all the time) but the pressure that puts on my own heart and my own anxieties can be really challenging. 

Would you rather be able to see 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes into the future of anyone but yourself? Why?

10 minutes into my own future — I own my own future, not anyone else’s and I don’t think that I would want to take that from anyone – getting to see before they do. I would almost be nervous to looking into my own future. Now – ten minutes into my own past – I would love that to be able to reflect on some situations where I could have handled things differently. (What a boring answer — but it’s truthful!)

You and your oldest child switch bodies for an hour. What do they do? What do you do?

This would be fun – since our daughter is only 16 months. I would do bathtime to try and figure out why she all of a sudden hates it. I would cuddle with ‘dada’ just to get a glimpse into the adoring way she looks at her father. Or maybe I would just take a nap! 

My dear daughter would probably spend the whole time reading grown up books. She might also want to try driving – I’m pretty sure she would try driving. 

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The Importance of Getting Away

Skoki Lodge
Sometimes you just have to get away from it all. As we all know, being a mom can simply be exhausting. The physical and mental load can take its toll. Everyone needs a break from time to time. I’m a firm believer that you can not take care of others unless you are also taking care of yourself.

A few years ago, when my kiddo was only a toddler, I did it. I left for some me time.

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My Jeans Don’t Fit…..And I Don’t Like It.

Last week I got excited. I was thinking about my health, and honestly, I tried on a pair of jeans that fit nicely not two months ago. They now wouldn’t go over my hips. This wasn’t a matter of washing machine shrinkage and the timing of New Years was purely coincidence – promise. It had more to do with the brie and crackers I was consuming, pretty much daily.

Something had to give and unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be my jeans.

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