May 12, 2007 3 min read

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day — and, of course, it is one of my favorite holidays. Who doesn’t like the pampering, the attention, the delicious meal that you don’t have to cook, and the chance to soak up some rare offspring gratitude?

Bring it on.

Getting away from it all, taking a break, even exiting the house without a diaper bag on your shoulder — all the things you wanted were a reflection of your need to escape the enormous stress of being a mom.

Working at a busy office?

Meeting a tight deadline?

Sure, those things are stressful, even if only for a few hours at a time. But mothering often means constant stress — day and night, week in and week out.

Salary.com just recently released a survey showing that stay-at-home mothers routinely put in a whopping 91.2-hour work week, all without the benefit of sick days or vacation time.

The job of “mom” involves 10 job descriptions, ranging from psychologist to van driver to janitor. If they were compensated fairly for their various roles, mothers would make $138,645 annually, the organization says. That would be a pretty fair compensation, considering the relentless nature of mothering and the amount of stress – and long-term consequences involved in doing an excellent job.

The difficulties of mothering are enormous.

How do you handle this stress, especially if you are a mom who also works out of the home?

Although stress is normal and can be an excellent motivator, it can get out of hand. Despite your best intentions, the struggles of balancing work and family life can be overwhelming.

Becoming aware of the sources of your stress is the first step toward removing or adjusting to them. Once you’ve gotten some “breathing room,” take an honest look at your daily habits.

Some ways to reduce unwanted stress include:

– Strive for a balance between personal, couple, family, community and career goals.

– Reduce consumption of sugar, coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate.

– Schedule quiet time for yourself each day.

– Do your favorite exercise, i.e., walking, biking, jogging at least three days a week for one hour each day.

nTake a long relaxing bath.

– Develop and spend time with a network of friends.

– Share affection.

– Stay flexible – look at unexpected changes as opportunities, instead of threats.

– Laugh at yourself and with others.

I hope your Mother’s Day will be filled with lots of rest, a relaxing day for your mind and body and a joyful reunion with your loved ones.

Let your family bring it on by pampering, spoiling and feeding you.

After all, you deserve it.

—

Cathy Brady and Don Fretts are educators with the Penn State Cooperative Extension, an educational network that gives people access to the resources and expertise of Penn State University.

Penn State Cooperative Extension is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state and county governments. Local extension educators and volunteers can be reached at fayettext@psu.edu or by phone at 724-438-0111.

For more information, check the state’s extension Web Site at www.extension.psu.edu.