How to Thrive as a Mom

This is a quick post from Kari, a friend of mine that I’ve known since college.  She has written a book for young moms and wants to tell you a little about it.  This post contains my affiliate links to her book.  I’ll turn it over to her now.

Dirty diapers, fevers, vomit, kisses, snuggles, midnight feedings, more kisses, boo-boos… motherhood is full of so much. Ever since I became a mom 6 years ago, I feel as though I have been stretched in ways I never would have imagined. There have been moments of pure craziness as I attempt to thrive as a mom when most of the time it seems like just surviving the day is enough.

Sometimes surviving is what happens. In my first summer with my little baby and toddler, I felt like I was barely surviving. It was exhausting and challenging. I know that some of you are currently feeling these feelings as well. Your days are filled with reheated coffee and the ups and downs of motherhood. It seems as though you are fighting a never ending battle.

We all know that life with little ones is a brief window of time, but when you are in the depths of this season, it can seem like an eternity. I kept hearing older moms tell me that it will get easier as they watched me push the stroller and contain the toddler. While I knew this was true, I also knew that I didn’t want to wait for it to get better. I wanted to start thriving now- not later.

I want you to know that you can thrive as a mom. There is so much more to life than simply surviving it. You can start thriving right now! Over time, I have started to change some things in my life and I am noticing a difference. It is all based on simple things such as embracing your gifts, letting go of perfection, quitting the comparison game. It is a lot of letting go and doing less- not more. All simple things that produce life changing results.

• 1) Figure out your triggers. What is it that tends to Send you downwards into a bad day? Write these down.
• 2) Prepare yourself. Now that you know what these triggers are, you can mentally prepare yourself and have a plan. I was having a really hard time with mornings. It seemed like things would constantly go wrong. After some time, I decided to start waking a little earlier. This gave me time to have some coffee and prepare for my day. It is a simple solution and my mindset is ready for what happens. (This is Ashley popping into say that if you want inspiration for waking up early check out MakeOverYourMornings.com – it’s a game changer!)
• 3) Let go of the bad. It may sound so simple but it is a vital part of thriving. We must let go of the bad moments, and move forward. Holding onto these things will cause us to be blinded to the good moments that are hiding around the corner of a bad moment.

If you would like to read more on these tips to thrive as a mom, check out my e-book, Why Just Survive When You Can Thrive. It is purposefully written with short, easy to read chapters- perfect for the busy mom. It is currently only $2.99 for the Kindle on Amazon or you can purchase the PDF here.

* Keri Snyder shares over at Living In This Season where she encourages moms in all different seasons. She is married to her husband Nick and they have three children. They live in Charleston, SC and love beautiful weather and beaches.