If moms don't take care of themselves, they can't take care of work or family
NEGAUNEE -- "I want my mom!" We've all said it, but in the 21st Century, everyone wants moms. They're in greater demand than ever before. According to happyworker.com, 72 percvent of modern moms work, in comparison to 31 percent of working moms in the 1930s.
But even stay at home moms are gaining responsibility. With the rise of the Web, housewives are feeling more pressure to multitask: get more done with less help.
"I would say it's probably the hardest thing that I’ve ever done," said Negaunee mother, Kristin Collins. "You're on all the time, 24 hours a day, you are on."
"There's never a break, you don't get the downtime, you're always on the go," adds mother of four, Kirstin Listila, also of Negaunee.
But experts have a warning for "supermoms": take a break. If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of work or your family.
"We would feel better, we would show less symptoms of stress, and we'd actually be a more enjoyable parent for our children and probably worker and mate as well," said Psychotherapist Tonja Acker-Richards.
Experts say an hour a day away, doing what you love, is enough.
"It can make your day or break your day if you don't have any," Collins said.
But where does a mom get time? Psychotherapists say it needs to be created. Start by delegating and being assertive.
"It's okay to ask for help," Acker-Richards said. "From grandparents, from spouses, from the children who benefit from learning how to work hard. Then we're teaching them how to deal with adult life at the same time that they do that."
Experts also say moms need to focus on what needs to get done, not what they want to get done. If the stress gets to be too much, contact a physician or psychologist.
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