I may not get up every morning and drive away to work, and I may not get a paycheck, benefits, weekends off, or even a set schedule, but I work hard. I’m a mom, and a wife. I’m human, and I’m not saying my job is the hardest in the entire universe. It has its advantages and its disadvantages– among other things. One of those things it has is no shortage of stress. There are some nights the kids are in bed and the house is still marginally clean, that I just sit here, starring at my computer screen in silence thinking, “I really should go to bed,” because I know damn well my kids will not care if I was suffering from a bad case of mom stress insomnia. They will wake up at the same time they always do even if I tried to go to sleep and sat there staring at the swirling red on the inside of my eyelids unable to sleep. This is how I get to sleep.
Step one: Take an incredibly long, incredibly hot bath. I mean so hot that when a body part emerges from the water it’s steaming. If baths just aren’t your thing you can shower too. Something about the sound of water is soothing to most people. Some suggest it has a lot to do with the sounds we hear in the womb as belly fruits, who knows. I know it helps me clear my head and let the day go. I know it makes my feet feel better, and washes whatever unmentionables my children have managed to get in my hair down the drain.
Step two: Make yourself a hot cup of relaxation. I’m not usually one to endorse alcohol as a problem solver, but come on now; it’s medically proven to be a relaxing elixir. Some studies say a drink a day is good for your health anyway. I like to couple my booze with another common help-you-sleep aid, warm milk and every woman’s go-to fix-all, chocolate. Stress? Insomnia? No match for warm milk, vodka and chocolate. Hot cocoa with a shot, that’s step two.
Step three: Sit still. I then sit all warm and cozy from my bath in my favorite pjs and sip my spiked hot chocolate. I usually sit here on my computer and write, because that’s what makes me feel better. You should do what makes you feel better as long as it’s not an active activity. You could sit and watch the trees blow around outside. You could listen to your favorite band. You can twiddle your thumbs, but you should do it-just sitting. No chasing after kids, no cleaning, no thinking, just sit.
Chances are at this point you’ll be asleep, or at least not too stressed to sleep. If my three-step plan to distress and go to bed doesn’t work for you, feel free to adapt it to your own needs. I know I don’t mind, but do come share your adaptations with the rest of us moms.
How do you relax at the end of the day?
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