The Mental Load of Motherhood: How Busy Moms Can Still Learn DIY Skills

Balancing the mental load of motherhood feels like a extra weight on our shoulders sometimes...

So ladies, let's be real here. How in the world do we add more to our plates when we are already carrying the mental load of being a woman and or working mom? I mean, seriously, between juggling schedules, play dates, packing lunches and keeping on top of our own schedule, plus keeping the house somewhat organized, there doesn't seem to be a lot of room left to take on a new skill or project, does there?

So, am I totally nuts when I keep talking about challenging yourself to learn home DIY skills? Maybe just a little bit, but I do truly believe that I am onto something when it comes to women learning home DIY skills. So really, so what's the point? Why bother learning a new skill when your plate is already incredibly full, like really?

Here's why, because there is something wonderful about being able to start a project and see it through from beginning to end. Speaking from experience here, there is also something so satisfying about not having to wait for your partner to have time, but just to get it done by yourself. Also, because there is something so relieving to be able to see a project and know you did a good job. And it's very black and white, right? Whereas sometimes with parenting, you have absolutely no clue if you're doing it right. I mean, really, we're not gonna really know we did a good job until they're 20 and maybe thinking about leaving the house.

Home DIY projects are black and white. You can see the beginning to the end and there's just, something so satisfying about finishing a project through to completion. So how do we deal with the mental load of motherhood and also reach other goals that we may have? I am by no means an expert at this, but I want to share with you what I have found that helps.

The first thing, which I'm still working on if I'm being perfectly honest, is to let go of perfection. So your house being slightly more messy because you're achieving another goal will not cause your household to fall apart. I honestly had a lot of trouble with this one. I feel like I always needed to feel like my house needed to be in perfect order. Once I let go of that, I was able to get a lot more done. Although I still struggle with wanting a clean house all the time but I am better at letting it wait and getting to it later.

The second one is to prioritize your goals. Write a to-do list of things that really matter to you to get done. Like love the kids, feed the kids, spend time with your husband and a general tidy of the house, and then add your goals in there. It's important to write it down and put it into the world, as it has more chance of it happening.

Thirdly, be kind to yourself when things don't work out. We are capable of a lot more than we give ourselves credit for. But in order to try new things, we need to let go of trying to be perfect in every area of our lives. It is impossible to be perfect and as a recovering perfectionist, I can confirm this to be true. It is impossible.

In closing, we help balance the mental load of motherhood and prioritizing our goals by letting of perfection. Second, prioritize your goals. Third, be kind to yourself. We all need to quiet that inner voice and speak more positively about what we accomplish in a day. Let's be kind to ourselves.