It’s that time of year again. The time when we attempt to make good New Year’s resolutions only to crash and burn by mid-February. This is because mom New Year’s resolutions tend to be unrealistic and extremely difficult to do in the first place – let alone maintain for an entire year. So rather than making resolutions to never raise your voice or to cook healthy meals every night, let’s look at how to make realistic New Year’s resolutions that will make us better moms without causing us to pull our hair out.
1. Find the Humor
This year resolved to laugh more. Kids can drive us crazy, but instead of getting upset at all their silly antics, choose to laugh. Laughing is good for you! It is a stress reliever, and it can help you survive even the most chaotic moments.
2. Set the Bar Low
One of the best New Year’s resolutions for moms is to set the bar low. This doesn’t mean you don’t hold your family to higher standards. What it means is that you should lower your personal expectations. We tend to get upset when things don’t meet our expectations. So, go into the family vacation or kids’ parties with lower expectations, and you’ll be more likely to have a great time focusing on having fun rather than making it a “perfect” experience.
3. Spend Less Time in the Car
Moms easily spend hours in their cars each week driving their kids to and from school and other after-school activities. This year choose to carpool using the GoKid app with other parents. This will mean more time for everyone to do something other than being a taxi driver for their kids.
4. Learn to Say No
If you suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out), it is time to let it go. The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is learn to say no. When your calendar is booked solid, you will be running everyone ragged. Create breathing room by saying no.
5. Put Down the Phone
We need our phones. Nowadays, they provide features we rely on, but if you find yourself wasting huge chunks of time scrolling through social media sites, resolve to put down your phone more often. If you need help, install an app that tracks your app usage. It’ll be eye-opening.
6. Make Healthier Choices
Every woman is different, so we can’t tell you what healthy choice you need to make for yourself. But, evaluate the areas in your life where you could make healthier choices and then set realistic New Year’s resolutions, such as drinking more water, going on walks, or not snacking late at night.
Here’s a hint – choose one thing to focus on rather than a bunch. It’s much better to succeed at one thing than to fail at twenty.
7. Accept the Mess
Kids are messy. That’s a fact. While you want your home to be clean, this may be the year for you to accept the mess. In other words, don’t stress yourself out trying to keep your home spic and span if you are in a stage when that is impossible. A few strewn toys won’t be the end of you.
8. Be Kinder to Yourself
Women have a really difficult time taking care of themselves. Whether it is not getting enough sleep or not scheduling our annual doctor’s appointments, we tend to make sure we do this for others but not ourselves. Resolve to do better this year.
Along these same lines, resolve to be kinder to yourself. Don’t listen to your inner bully. Instead, give yourself grace when you need it and forgive yourself when you mess up.
9. Use the Tools I’ve Been Given
With so many cool apps, moms have more tools to help them organize all the details of their daily lives than ever before. The problem is that we don’t take advantage of them! This year, resolved to use a family calendar app and photo-storing apps on a regular basis.
10. Understand Life Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Wonderful
Finally, resolve to embrace imperfection. Let go of the idea of having to make sure everything in your life is Pinterest-level perfect. There is beauty in the chaos that is life with kids. Look for it and you’ll find it.
