Common struggles of working moms and how to overcome them
Which working mom do we know who has it all together? Yep, we don’t! There are several challenges and struggles of working moms that might seem trivial to an outsider, but believe me, they are everything but trivial.
Let’s start with our favorite topic, the pandemic, shall we?
With schools being shut down, working moms assumed the responsibility of being a homeschool teacher. Of course, this is in addition to working and managing a household (cooking, cleaning, laundry, chores, etc). I am sure I am getting pushback from many moms and dads right now about how this load has affected both parents and not just moms.
This pushback is valid to some extent. According to the study published in September of 2020 by McKinsey, the household load has disproportionately affected the working moms, although dads have also been significantly and adversely affected by the situation.
But even before the pandemic, working moms’ struggles have been quite real. Beyond the obvious, any working mom struggles with guilt (“I am a bad mom because I can’t be with my child 100% of time”), exhaustion (full day of work followed by kid’s activities, followed by cooking and cleaning), having to choose every single day (go to the PTA meeting or attend a meeting that boss has scheduled), absolutely no me-time and making unhealthy choices (fast food, lack of sleep, little to no exercise), just to name a few.
Not that we have mastered it all but we have tried and have seen success in ways some moms can balance work and family.
So why don’t we discuss some of the most common struggles of working moms and how to overcome them.
Let’s start with…
1. Mom’s Guilt
When it comes to a mom at the workplace, she often thinks about how she is “abandoning” her kids and not spending time with them. Let me just say this; STOP IT!
Unless your job is toxic and you hate it, remind yourself what this job is offering you, your kids, and your family. There’s a certain lifestyle you can afford because of this job. You can pay for the proper care and healthcare through this job, hopefully, vacations and occasional splurges.
Gone are the days where only men are considered to be the “provider” of a family and women are limited to household work. Both of them can provide for the family and both can go after their professional goals.
Note – Know how to overcome mom’s guilt with these quick tips
2. Lack of a Robust Routine
Yet another, one of the most common struggles of working moms is not being able to formulate a decisive routine. To be able to balance work and family as a mom, you’d need to first set a routine for your daily lifestyle.
For instance, you could start by making your morning easier. Simply set up an alarm early in the morning. This way, you’d get a head start on important tasks and you avoid the morning rush.
Or, if you do not want to wake up very early, you can always complete some of these tasks at night before bed. Or at least have a list of tasks that need to be done in the morning before the day officially starts.
3. Not Prioritizing Tasks
After building your routine, you should be also able to prioritize your daily tasks.
There could be a huge to-do list. You’d have to find the ones that require immediate actions and make sure you complete them in a day. By the end of the day, you can once again check your to-do list and get a sense of accomplishment.
4. Not Setting Boundaries
If you work from home, try to completely separate your work area from the common areas of the house. Find some kind of door, partition, curtain, etc, to visibly declare the space as yours and not a family zone.
Although this does not eliminate the distractions, it does wonder by teaching your family about boundaries, and over time it allows you to stay more focused. Believe it or not, this is one of the best ways to overcome the struggles of working moms.
5. Lack of Access to Ondemand Sitters
Look, it’s already tough to leave your kids and go to work. What’s even tougher is finding the right sitter, someone you feel good about, to take care of on your kids when you need them.
That’s where Call Emmy comes to your rescue. Our sitters pass through a thorough screening process that includes background checks, behavior analysis, experience level, etc. This ensures that your kids are in a safe environment and under caring supervision.
Ultimately, this allows you to get a break and refresh. It also plays a significant part in overcoming the struggles of a working mom.
6. Never-ending Chores
Before I had started my family, it was quite easy to complete day-to-day tasks. Be it doing dishes, laundry, dropping clothes at the dry cleaner, grocery shopping, etc.
But with the arrival of a little one, the volume of chores increased exponentially… We went from doing laundry twice a week to six, maybe seven times a week. Dust bunnies, dirt, and cheerios on the couch started becoming our faithful companions. I finally admitted to myself, I couldn’t keep up and I needed help.
That is how Emmy came into our lives by the way. And, now that we see, it is definitely helping in overcoming the struggles of working moms, as well as stay-at-home moms.
Ask any of your friends, family, or trusted neighbors for referrals. Or, you can seek the help of trusted service marketplaces like Call Emmy.
7. Not Having Family Time
One of the most common struggles of working moms is not being able to spend any time with their family.
I would wholeheartedly recommend that you take some break from your work and spend some time with your family; weekends or weeknights. Nothing big and extravagant, low-key fun family time.
Go on a short road trip with your family, do a craft activity together, have a picnic at the park, visit the zoo, or simply watch a movie with your family. Any of these activities will rejuvenate you and will bring you and your family closer.
8. Not Having “Me” time
At the end of the day, “try” to focus on finding some alone time for yourself. The constant juggling of work and family is mentally and physically exhausting.
To overcome this, do the things that you like such as reading a book, listening to music, watching a movie, working out, or even going for a walk.
The ultimate goal of this process is to relax, refresh and recuperate…
All Done. Now What?
Now that you have explored all the common struggles of working moms and how to overcome them, it’s time for you to take action.
But wait..!!
What if we tell you that there’s a very easy and convenient way to help you tackle your working mom struggles?
And, that is Call Emmy.
What is Call Emmy? How Does it Help With Work-Life Balance?
Call Emmy is an online platform that offers various services to busy parents and professionals.
We have a wide range of services that allow you to focus on what matters the most to you.
Some of our most popular services include:
- House Cleaning – Let us do all the scrubbing and cleaning work of your home. You sit back, relax, and enjoy.
- Child Care – Do you have an immediate errand? Call Emmy will get experienced sitters to look after your kids.
- Laundry Services – Nobody likes doing laundry but we do. For real!
- Chores – Need a helping hand around the house? We are here.
- Meal Preparation – Looking for healthy homemade type meals? Call Emmy delivers chef-prepared, gluten, dairy, and peanut-free meals to your home.
And, the list goes on…
Give us a try. Call Emmy is the only all-in-one solution, made by and for busy parents.
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