So it’s been a month since I posted about my desire to be a less angry mom. If you missed my first post, you can check it out here. However, here is a quick recap if you need a refresher. I realized that I was always angry. I found myself getting frustrated at the drop of a hat. I didn’t want my girls to grow up and remember me as an angry mom, so I decided to do something about it. I’m ready to check back in with the results of my quest.
I am pretty surprised that the thing that helped me most was repeating the mantra I came up with:
“Breathe. I am a loving parent and can handle this in a calm manner.”
I honestly thought that this would have been the least helpful of them all. I’m not one to sit still or meditate, so I always shrugged at the thought of a mantra. In fact I even rolled my eyes when people brought up mantras. I just didn’t get them. Well, now I do.
Repeating my mantra when I started seeing red, truly helped me bring my temper down a notch. Saying the words made me pause, and just take a few seconds to gather my thoughts before reacting. I was then able to respond to the situation calmly.
Coming in second was reducing my time on social media. Now, I’m not saying I was perfect, because I occasionally got sucked into scrolling through Facebook. However, when I closed my computer and put down my phone I noticed a big difference. My brain wasn’t going a mile a minute trying stay on top of everything going on online. I was able to to focus more on my girls. They were calmer, which meant less fighting. Less fighting equals a happier, less angry mom.
Third in line was having more play dates. I totally thought this would have been number one since I love having people over. Even just having people over once still helped though. While the kids played in the family room, we all chatted and enjoyed a glass (or two) of wine in another room. Not only do the kids get to play with different people, there is just something to be said about being able to talk to other adults that helps lift a mood.
The last three goals I had for myself were to drink more water and eat healthy snacks, get some me time in, and keep things clean. Unfortunately these were areas that I still struggled with. I really think that keeping things cleaned and organized will help my mindset so I am going to continue to strive for that throughout the year. I will also be staying on top of my kids to put toys away when they are done with them, so at the end of the day our play room isn’t a disaster.
Overall, I am pleased with how everything went. I really do feel that I was less angry of a mom this past month. Sure I had moments where I snapped, but they were less than they have been in the past. As the year goes on, I will continue to work on improving my mindset.
I know I don’t want to go back to where I was before, and am striving to be a more joy filled mom.
Danielle, We have all been there. You are a loving Mom or you would not have been concerned with being angry. It proves you are because you realized that you wanted to change it. Keep it up. You got this.