***Managing Stress as a Working Mother

Ask any mother who's been there, and almost every woman will agree trying muster up energy every day to take care of new children and young kids is a mountain of a challenge. Add onto that task maintaining a job as well, and it's no surprise mothers are completely stressed out and high candidates for chronic stress health problems.

Despite all the guide books and resources, there is no perfect method for being a successful, stress-free mother. Instead, unpredictability usually reigns supreme, causing havoc with every other aspect of life and work. Just imagine being on a schedule, already thinking about the meeting at 10am that morning, and on the way to delivering a child to preschool, a potty mess and emotional tantrum occurs in the backseat of the car, simultaneously. Welcome to the typical morning of a working mother of a preschooler on the first day of school. It shouldn't be any surprise that the same mother can barely keep her wits together in a meeting when someone at the adult level decides to be difficult on work issues as well.

Stress affects every part of how a mother operates in her work and personal life. It reduces her energy, her efficiency, and her critical thinking capacity. Day after day, the continued stress wears down on a person. However, there are ways a working mom can fend off stress or reduce it significantly. Believe it or not, the following tips can help tremendously:

• Plan every day and stick to the plan as much as possible - the daykeeper, whether paper or electronic, is a working mother's best friend. Half the cause of stress is trying to remember everything perfectly and getting nothing even somewhat right. Planning each day as much as possible provides consistency to what can otherwise be a chaotic day. It also cuts down on the unknown which creates anxiety drives up the stress-o-meter. For more help here, download my e-book, “The Balancing Act: Time Management for the Working Mom” available at WorkingMomsAdvisor.com.

• Define parameters - a working mother who defines limits for everyone involved or wants something from her at home creates barriers that allow her to take a break. When a person can shut down and rest, she gets sick. By defining how much people at home can demand from a mom and sticking to that line, a working mother can create a rest zone in time and place which is critical to get re-energized.

• Keep connected to the kids - When things get stressful, it's easy to put the kids in the proverbial back seat. However, kids who don't feel loved or paid attention to start to act out to get more attention. That can lead to more stress as the little ones and teenagers get in trouble. By staying connected, a working mother can head off the problems early, reducing their own stress in the long run.

• Exercise, exercise, exercise - The body needs a break from stress as much as the mind. One way is sleep but the other involves exercise, burning off muscle anxiety and allowing a person to loosen up. Women who can maintain even 30 minutes or an hour a day or every other day can do wonders for personal health and stress reduction. It also helps keep the weight off.

• Network and share help - The old saying that it takes a village to raise a child is still true today. When working moms are overwhelmed, one of the best ways to tackle the challenge is to rely on other friends who are moms for help. Not only does the reliance help build networking, a mom helped today can help another mother tomorrow. The benefits are huge when big problems are broken down by multiple people working together.

Finally, one of the simplest ways to deal with stress is to sometimes stop, close your eyes, and take a big deep breath. Just taking a moment to disconnect can provide clarity when it feels like too much is happening.