Mother’s Day is Hard: 15 Ideas to Help Reduce Your Stress

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Do you find Mother’s Day to be a stressful holiday?  Are you one of the many mothers who doesn’t enjoy Mother’s Day? This article will give you ideas of how to eliminate your stress when Mother’s Day is hard for you.  It surprised me when I found out that so many of my friends and even my own mother, don’t like Mother’s Day.  

This post is all about ideas to help reduce your stress when Mother’s Day is hard. 

Why is Mother’s Day Difficult for Many?

As I begin to think of the reasons why some people wouldn’t enjoy Mother’s Day, and as I reflect on my own experiences, I begin to see the stress involved.  Your loved ones want it to be the perfect day for you, but they don’t always know how to make it happen.  It often requires your help, and you end up making the dinner, or cleaning the house. 

Mother’s Day can become more difficult than a normal day.  Women may feel unappreciated, overwhelmed, lonely, or maybe just forgotten.  

There are many women who have lost their own mother or a child.  There are women who can’t have children, and women who choose to not have children. Many women struggle with infertility or finding a partner to start a family with. Maybe they don’t get along with their mom or have other issues that surrounds this holiday.

Each family situation looks completely different.  No matter what your situation looks like, or whatever your reason may be for not liking this holiday, know you aren’t alone. 

History of Mother’s Day

As a matter of fact, Anna Reeves Jarvis is the woman most often credited for founding Mother’s Day, after her own mother passed away. It was first promoted as a day for women to get together to promote peace in our country.  By the time Reeves passed away, she regretted the idea of this holiday, because it had become commercialized.  She tried to fight the organizations that were using this Holiday to make money.  

What can YOU do to make Mother’s Day less stressful?  Below are 15 ideas to help reduce your stress when Mother’s Day is hard.

1. Figure Out Your Expectations

Write down what you want Mother’s Day to be. Maybe you just want to relax, read a good book or go to the beach.  Do you want to spend time alone or with the family?  Once you figure out what you are expecting, make sure that you communicate your desires.

2. Be Realistic

If you have small kids, then maybe breakfast in bed isn’t in the cards. Also, don’t expect your children to be perfect on this day.  They are just kids and want to make you happy.  When they feel the pressure of trying to be perfect or trying to give you the perfect day, they can be stressed also.

3. Allow Others to Celebrate You

Try and allow others to celebrate you the best they can.  Truly enjoy and notice what each of your kids are doing to show you they love you.  If the only thing they can do is give you a hug, then celebrate that. 

4. Relax and Be Grateful

Try and relax and just be grateful to be able to spend time with people you love. Gratitude can change our perspective.  I love this quote, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Anonymous

5. Serve Other Women  

Serve a mom, a friend, someone who has lost someone, someone who is single, pregnant, or alone this Mother’s Day.  Invite them to spend some time with you.  It will help both of you enjoy the day more.

6. Keep it Simple

Over-planning can be stressful.  Enjoy whatever comes your way.  Instead of a huge gourmet dinner where you spend all day preparing and cooking, plan a picnic in the park.  Keep the menu simple.  I love this quote by Bob Ross, “Look around…Beauty is everywhere.  You only have to look to see it.”

7. Take Time for Yourself

Go for a walk, take a nap, have a bubble bath, do a puzzle, or read a book.  Figure out what you want to do for those few minutes and take the time to do it.  You may have to give the kids a few more minutes of screen time, but there is a way to enjoy time for yourself.  Check out this cute puzzle below. 

8. Plan a Mother’s Day Eve Party

One of the best ideas I have heard, was planning a Mother’s Day Eve party for your friends and maybe even their moms.  Have a girl’s night out the day before with no expectations.  Make it a potluck with no plans.  Keep it Simple. Just enjoy time together talking and relaxing.  Then on Sunday you can enjoy the things the kids want to do with you. You will be recharged and ready to enjoy time with your family.

 

9.  Take the Next Day Off

Another idea that will help you recharge, is taking the day AFTER Mother’s Day off.  When the household has gone back at school and work, you take the day off and do everything you would want to do without anyone interrupting you.  Maybe, spring for a babysitter and go get a massage or get your nails done.

10. Be Honest with Yourself

If for some reason you are grieving Mother’s Day, let yourself grieve.  Don’t pretend that you are happy.  Take a few minutes to talk with someone you love and trust and express your feelings.  Find a way to remember the person you love.  It will help with the healing process.

11. Don’t Spend it Alone  

If Mother’s Day is just another day in your life, a day that you usually feel lonely because no one remembered the special day, quit feeling sorry for yourself and invite someone else in the same situation to spend the day together.  Take control of your situation and make it the day you want it to be.

 

12. Don’t be Disappointed  

This again comes down to expectations, gratitude, and communication.  Be gracious in telling your child that you loved the homemade picture frame they made for you or the kitchen gadget they thought you would love.  Mother’s Day is so commercialized, all you really need is someone’s love.  If you happen to get something you really wanted, then life has been good.  Otherwise, try and remember the adage, “It’s the thought that counts.”

 

13. Don’t Make the Whole Day About You

Focus on another person who has blessed your life.  Or maybe on your kids who want to spend time with you.  Make each day a memory that you can always remember, especially if it is Mother’s Day.  Your kids will remember the time they spent with you instead of the stress that ruined everyone’s day. Here is another great quote:

“Love your family. Spend time, be kind and serve one another. Make no room for regrets. Tomorrow is not promised and today is short.” -Unknown

14. Try Something New

This could be done as a family, friends or even neighbors.  Enrolling in a class and learning something new together can provide hours of fun and relaxation.  You could even have one of your friends teach your family a new skill.  Go ahead and learn a new game.  It really is about spending time together and making memories.  Below are a few things you could do as a family on Mother’s Day.

 

 

 

15. Start a New Tradition

Find new and different experiences and/or traditions to help make memories.  Making memories should be the focus of the family.  Planning for a future trip, going on a hike, strolling through the farmer’s market, trying a new yoga class, going to a museum, baking together, an impromptu photo session, a paint night, or watching old home videos can provide a lifetime of memories.  

Grab a family photo and create this diamond painting kit together.

 This family Bucket list would also be a fun thing to introduce on Mother’s Day.

 

Mother’s Day is hard for many people, but it’s time YOU take control of YOUR mother’s day, and design it how YOU want it to be.  Take the focus off of yourself. Instead, put the focus back on the family and the memories you can share together.  Your family truly loves you, even if they don’t know how to make it the perfect day.

The world has made Mother’s Day difficult and stressful.  Many feel that Mother’s Day is forced and over commercialized.  Some women feel guilty about the kind of mother they are, or lonely or sad because of experiences or trials.  It is time to take the stress out of Mother’s Day.  Make it what YOU want it to be.   Don’t let our traditions and culture ruin a perfectly great day in your life.  

Take comfort in the fact that many other women also hate Mother’s Day and feel the stress of this holiday.  Do what you can to make it a better day.  I love this quote by Sarah Ban Breathnach, “Learning to live in the present moment is part of the path of joy.”  We can feel joy with the right perspective and mind set.  It is up to us to find that joy for ourselves and others.   Let’s Serve.

This is a post all about ideas to help reduce your stress when Mother’s Day is hard for you. 

 

Check out our post 41 Service Ideas and Affordable Gifts for Mother’s Day