At the request of a reader, this week at Child Caring I touched on ways to cope with the stress that comes from trying to juggle work and parenthood. Read the details over at Child Caring, but if you're looking for the talking points, here they are:
Remember why you're working. A recent study by US staffing company Adecco Group found that 80 percent of women surveyed are working because they have to, not necessarily because they want to. Let go of the guilt: You are putting food on the table and a roof over your children's heads. That's supporting your family, not depriving them.
Focus on wearing one hat at a time. When you're at work, try to be as productive as possible; when you're at home, try to leave your job at the office. Make the most of the time you have, and focus on quality (or productivity) instead of quantity (or face time) if possible.
Remember that parenting skills and professional skills are often similar. You're not worth less as a parent -- you're worth more. As a parent, you have honed your communication, negotiation, and organization skills -- all qualities a successful leader and team player in the office need to have.
Talk to your kids about what you do. Even young children can understand the difference between work and play; they know that cooking dinner isn't the same as making noise with empty pots and pans. Explain what you do at your job, and why you're doing it. Give them a chance to ask questions and pretend to work at home.
What's the most challenging part of your own work-life juggle?
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing such a good information about stress reduction tips.
Stress management has always been a challenge for me. I have three kids and a career, and I was feeling really overwhelmed. I found a similar resource which helped me to manage stress in a well structured way. Every working mom should check this out.
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