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When we adopted our son, I found myself as a new stay at home mom overwhelmed by motherhood. Tantrums, jet lag, and loneliness all culminated in the perfect storm. Thankfully, I wasn’t the first mother to experience stress and was able to turn to others for advice and support. If you’re feeling overwhelmed being a stay at home mom, I pray these resources are encouraging and comforting. We are in this together, mama.
Looking to Christ When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed Being a Stay at Home Mom
I started this blog to encourage other moms the same way a friend encouraged me to find my purpose in Christ instead of in motherhood. Not only is Jesus worthy of our full attention but we find both the perfect example of obedience and our source of joy when we keep our eyes fixed on Him. The overwhelmed stay at home mom needs only diligently seek Him when exhausted or anxious. Start now by opening your Bible.
3 Bible Verses for the Overwhelmed Mom
- “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 42:11 ESV
- “…from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I…” Psalm 61:2 ESV
- “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:26-29 ESV
Practical Advice for When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed Being a Stay at Home Mom
Whether you are a new stay at home mom or just a mom in a stressful season, God has provided us with the support of others. I am thankful for the moms who poured into my life when I was an overwhelmed new mom to a toddler. I collected several practical tips that I am excited to share with you. At the end of this post, you’ll find a free downloadable printable of the Bible verses and advice for you to keep or give to another mom. This is a very long list, so be sure to bookmark or pin it!
**Before reading this list and feeling more overwhelmed, take this advice from Jennifer Love to heart.**
“Don’t collect everyone’s ideas and try to do them all! Listen to others, but submit to God if you should implement or change anything, and then take time to listen! 🙂 What we dream up for ourselves (doing it All!) is usually just more overwhelming and God wants us to be present and peaceful within what we have been given.”
Read more of Jennifer’s thoughts on incorporating advice at How I Recovered from an Encouraging Mom Conference & the Myth of “Only” 2 Kids.
1. The Overwhelmed Stay at Home Mom Can Find Her Strength in Christ
- “If you’re feeling overwhelmed with motherhood, the best thing you can do is take some time to get away from everything and connect with the Lord. Jesus would often go by Himself to a secret place to pray. I believe He not only did it because He wanted fellowship time with the Father but also to set an example for us!” – Jennifer King, Minding the Kings
- “I posted Scriptures all around my house to help encourage me when I started to feel overwhelmed.” – Heather Hart – Check out her list of Scriptures for When You’re Stressed
- If you are struggling to obtain “quiet time” with God, check out Danielle Muñoz’s list of 5 Ways to Abide in Christ as a SAHM. “In the pressures of every day, in the exhaustion that can so easily overwhelm us, we must lean into our knowledge of Him in order for us to take full joy in our mothering and homemaking.”
- “Pray along with your children for the opportunity to be a blessing to others. It takes your eyes off your circumstance and gives you all a mission together.” – Katie Deckert, See her post, The 7 Word Prayer that Changed My Life with Littles
- “We have all learned, in sometimes painful ways, that good days and bad days will come in spite of our own best efforts. God has not promised us a life free of difficulty just because we follow Him. (Look at the book, Jesus Freaks if you want real life examples of godly people suffering for the cause of Christ!). He DOES promise that if we will trust Him and look to Him in the midst of our difficult days, HIS FAITHFUL LOVE will sustain us.” From Young Mom–“Some Days are Just Like That…” by Vickie Munton
- “The truth is 90% of the insanity in my life is rooted in the lies of the enemy that quietly grew in a lack of immersion in God’s truth. God’s Word is our foundation. Our “right mind” as mothers is first and foremost found in having the mind of Christ.” from Hannah Savage, 6 Sanity Savers for Stay at Home Moms
2. The Overwhelmed Stay at Home Mom Should Seek the Good
- “In the midst of your frustration, I encourage you to embrace your beautiful moments. I encourage you to recognize you have what it takes. Take moments to pause when you get overwhelmed…and ask where’s the beauty in this messy moment? I can assure you if you ask the Lord, He will answer…EACH moment an opportunity for the Lord to teach you how to be the best version of you! It gets no more beautiful than THIS!” from Victoria Riollano, Dear Tired Mom, Embrace the Beautiful Mess!
- “Lean on other moms, remember the big picture- moments are more important than the mess. When all else fails put on a tv show and stand on your front porch and eat a pop tart.” From Danell Steffen, Faith Plus Family
- “Get down on their level. By this, I think it is important that parents get eye level with their children sometimes. I have found in situations whether it is to correct or affirm, me being eye to eye with my sons has allowed them to focus on me and the situation at hand. Rough times are easier to diffuse because I can still communicate love by just taking an extra moment to bend down and look into their eyes.” From Angel Penn
3. The Overwhelmed Stay at Home Mom Should Take Time for Herself
- “I have my kids have a 30 minute alone session in their rooms every day so that I could also have 30 min alone for bible time, shut my eyes time, reading, cleaning…whatever the case it is my 30 to do whatever I wanted or needed ALONE. it works great for everyone to be separated for a bit.” From Tina Crawford, My Penned Heart
- “Guarding your heart isn’t only about what you keep out, it’s about what you put in. It’s so important to find out what feeds your soul and weave it into the rhythms of your life. I have a good, great and ecstatic list. The good are things I can daily include in my life: coffee in my favorite cup, the music that I play in the car or while cooking, a scented candle, a spray of perfume. The great are things that might be able to happen weekly or fortnightly: a walk on the beach, a bath, a coffee out with a friend. Ecstatic are less frequent because of time/cost so for me that might be a facial or going to a conference etc. Everyone’s list will look different because what refreshes us depends on our makeup. But this approach to guarding my heart, thinking of what fuels my body, mind, and spirit and paying attention to how God has made ME, has helped me keep balanced in the giving out of motherhood. When I start to feel run down I have usually been neglecting to weave my list into my days.” From Aimee Walker, On Becoming Esther
- “I taught my 5-year-old son to read the clock so he would stay in his room and play quietly until 7 am when my twins were infants and he was an early riser.” From Heather Hart, Books, Faith, and Coffee
- “During your week always have one activity for YOU to look forward to- it might be a mom’s day out or something as simple as a relaxing bath for an hour with no interruptions. Of course, the person relieving you of your mom duties needs to know how important they are to your plan for it to work.” From Christy Reid
- “Taking from 10 to 20 minutes of time for myself. A pedicure, manicure, doing my hair, walking, read a good book… just me time. To recharge the energy and continue the day with our kids.” From Tayrina González, His Purpose in Me
- “Just like scheduling weekly dates is good for our marriage, scheduling mom breaks is good for our emotions and perspective. Banking in a time slot every week to get out on our own and just breathe and move at our own pace is refreshing. My husband supports me taking a little time on Wednesdays to do whatever sounds fun or relaxing. Sometimes it’s coffee with a friend, or browsing a favorite store, or journaling. It took ages to give myself permission for that, but so glad it’s part of my routine now! Wish I’d started when we still had all 5 kiddos at home.” From Joanna Teigen, Growing Home Together
- “Make time for yourself! It may seem like there’s no way to do that, but just 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time throughout the day can make a huge difference in your mood. It also breaks up the monotony of all your home duties.” From Alisa Nicaud, Flourishing Today
- “Spare some time for your interests too in the busy motherhood schedule. It can be reading a book you enjoy, walking alone, a dance class, shopping alone, a day with friends- anything that can refresh your mind and can calm your overwhelming life.” Read more from How to Be a Happy Stay-at-Home Mom by Sara Benny
4. The Overwhelmed Stay at Home Mom Can Find Support in Community
- “Community, community, community!!! As stay at home moms, we need to make the effort to get out of the house and socialize with others, because being at home all day can be very lonely! This looks different for everyone, but we are created for community and there is so much truth in the saying, ‘it takes a village’ in reference to raising kids! That’s when a “mom tribe” is so important!!” From Stephanie Miller, Personal and Spiritual Growth Coach
- “Getting out of the house is huge for me! Find ways to connect and make getting out a scheduled time – like volunteering, moms groups, etc. I know it takes effort and extra work but even just a walk around the block can totally change your day!” From Katie Zamora Sacoman, Pages and Puddles
- “Remember it is about the kids and NOT the housework. Housework is essential but not if it affects your presence with your kids. Connecting with other Christian moms has been a lifeline for me, as well as getting involved in the community. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything, even on the days I’m pulling my hair out a little.” From Tara Kranz, Pursue Peace
- “I joined MOPS so I could have some girl time with other mamas who were going through the same thing as me. It led to play dates and lunches. MOPS was a blessing for me when I moved across the United States without any family or friends. The women helped me find new doctors and made me feel at home in my new state.” from Alesha Pritchard, Mindful Christian Parenting
5. The Overwhelmed Stay at Home Mom Needs to Simplify and Stop Striving for Perfection
- “Don’t get caught in the comparison trap. It’s okay to be a different kind of mom than all the other moms. Comparison will exhaust and discourage you and suck the life out of your relationships. (I was NOT good at the messy, crafty, let-your-kids-help-cook stuff. I was not a birthday-party-aficionado. Once I accepted that and stopped putting myself on a guilt trip about it, I could rest in the ways I was a good mom, and it felt so much better!)” From Jana Carlson, Wield the Word
- “Don’t strive for perfection, you don’t need your children to grow up worshiping you. You want your children to grow up worshiping Christ. Instead of hiding your faults or aiming to give your children perfection, point them to Jesus. That way they won’t just say, ‘Wow! My mom is awesome!’ They will say, ‘Wow! If Jesus can work in my mom, He is awesome!'” From Katie Deckert – Be sure to read her post, An Open Letter to My Children About Failure
- “Give yourself grace to let things go. The house will not fall apart if you skip sweeping for a day (or a week). There are only a few absolutely essential tasks. Do the most basic version of those. If this means frozen pizza and cold cereal in PJs, awesome. If it means staying on the couch reading a pile of books with your kids, perfect. If it means calling a friend over and crying, do it. Breathe and know that these days don’t last forever.” From Katie McGowen, My Joy in Chaos
- “Listen to The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman. To help get things off your plate, understand what your best next move is, and help with all the overwhelm. Plus her podcasts are like 12 minutes.” From Elizabeth Gidley
- “One thing I am learning lately is to simplify the long list in my head of what a really awesome day is. This has led me to discovering and accepting what pieces of my schooling and parenting are most important to me. I need to slow down and schedule in UNO as part of our day because it resets everyone’s mood. It just does. And if I have a more realistic expectation of what HAS to be cleaned or baked in a day I can leave time for games.” From Jennifer Love’s post, Choosing Peace Over Envy and Loving the Ordinary Day
- “I will rest. I will stop. I will breathe deeply. And, I will manage just one piece of pie at a time.” From Nellie Morris’ post, Supermom Does NOT Live Here
- Lacy Ngo has an ebook that teaches busy moms how to make a month of healthy freezer meals in one day! If you’re feeling overwhelmed being a stay at home mom or know a stay at home mom feeling overwhelmed, prepping meals is a great way to simplify or a great gift to give. Check out Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals
Important Note: Stay at Home Moms and Depression
Sometimes feeling overwhelmed or thinking you have “stay at home mom burnout” may actually be depression. Please be aware of the signs of depression and seek help if you think they apply to you. Depression is very real.
A Prayer for Overwhelmed Moms
I pray that you were encouraged by all the advice and encouragement from these mamas. When you feel overwhelm sets in, read through these words, pray this prayer, and turn your attention to Christ.
Lord,
When I’m feeling overwhelmed being a stay at home mom, may I look to you as my strength and encouragement. Give me the faith and energy needed to do all things for Your glory. Surround me with others who can direct me to the Gospel, the truths I need to be reminded of each day. When I’m overwhelmed by motherhood, help me find the good in each moment that You have created for me. Help me not strive for perfection, but Christlikeness, simplifying my life of anything unnecessary.
In Jesus’ Precious Name,
Amen.
Printable Verses, Advice, and Prayer for Overwhelmed Moms
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed being a stay-at-home mom, I pray these resources have helped you. To make this encouragement more convenient, click here to download this printable version. If you know a stay-at-home mom who needs help, be sure to send her this post or print off the free printable for her!
Shared this post to my facebook page. So many great resources, encouragement and support. Thanks for including my blog in the list (www.seekingsabbath.ca)
Allyson, I can’t thank you enough for sharing all this encouragement for moms! I’m a stay-at-home mom and I’ve had my share of mommyhood struggles, postpartum depression/anxiety, and loneliness. It’s so tough, but God is so good! Love this huge list of resources and quotes. I’ll be pinning and sharing so that I can come back to it!
What an unexpected joy in motherhood- to find that I am not alone in my lonely thoughts or discouraged days! I love learning from what God is teaching others and from moms whose children are older. We need to see too that all these little bits of life, even the hard ones, are so worth it. Great compilation of encouragement Allyson!
Allyson—this is one solid post! So many good resources–and thank you for not overlooking the issue of depression, because it’s real and sneaks up on so many of us. Years ago, I asked a friend of mine who was beginning a journey as a stay-at-home dad what were the challenges he faced. I thought I’d hear something a little profound, as stay-at-home dads may face additional challenges, as they aren’t “one of the moms”. But his response was that the monotony of staying at home was the toughest thing to get used to. So thanks for encouraging us to get out! It’s so necessary!