Home and Family

As a working mom, it’s often incredibly difficult to find the time to reach any semblance of balance while being stretched all directions throughout each and every day. These days, it seems that unless you’ve got a special gift for effective time management, it’s just not possible to find enough time to take care of all the needs of your children, your job, your housework and the myriad of other tasks that are always so necessary.

If we put off something until tomorrow, we feel guilty about it and this only serves to increase those daily pressures. Budgeting can be quite a challenge and if you only have a limited source of income you will always feel pressured to spend it on the kids and other household items, relegating yourself to last place in the pecking order.

As a working mother, you have to keep in mind one crucial point – you represent the “engine” that keeps the whole family going, and without you being at your best, other aspects of the family machine simply won’t work as well. Therefore, you should place any feelings of guilt in the back of your thoughts and remember that when you decide to invest in yourself it’s actually a well-spent investment in the family “machine,” your children and your overall existence. You need to feel good about yourself or, over the course of time, you will become more and more burdened, depression may set in and this can become a downward spiral.

One of the most crucial goals for you to work toward should be to establish a solid support network all around you. Don’t be afraid to lean on your closest friends – you know who they are, you only really have a few true friends that you can turn to in all these situations. Don’t forget though, that this kind of support is a two-way street. You may already have close family members who help you out, but don’t be afraid to seek the help of a professional coaching expert, specifically coaching for women in your situation as well.

If you’re lucky, maybe you’ve got a really good friend who is willing to babysit for you, so you can have some precious “me time” all to yourself. If you try hard enough, there’s always a way to find a little bit of extra time to make yourself feel “yummy,” instead of slummy! Remember that whatever chaos seems to exist around you on a daily basis, you have to take control over the elements that you can control.

Looking and feeling fabulous on a low budget is not that difficult. Your toughest challenge will be in setting aside the necessary time to truly pamper yourself. Once you actually accept this as a fundamental priority in your life, you need to make this happen regularly.

The best thing you can do for yourself on a daily basis is to commit to an exercise routine, and we don’t mean carrying around big bags of groceries or tidying up your home! A dedicated period of cardiovascular exercise is ideal, or you could even get started by working with a small set of free weights while walking through the streets of your own neighbourhood.

See how this will make you feel better mentally and physically and how it will make you look better – your skin tone will shine. You can pick up supplies to do a really great home manicure and pedicure, schedule a visit to a beautician or hairstylist and just focus on your personal time in the bathroom more often.

Always remember that feeling great is simply a state of mind. It often starts with a focus on creating time for you and allocating at least an equal priority.

For additional suggestions and great tips on how to feel fantastic as a tight-budget mother, check out the array of online life coaching resources which are readily available to you!

Amanda Alexander is the Managing Director of Coaching Mums. She is a celebrated ICF accredited coach, who for over six years, has been helping thousands of working mums from around the World bring balance back into their lives, lose their guilt, find the time to explore their passions, and generally, to have a lot more fun! For fantastic articles and hot professional coaching tips, sign up to receive “Inspire,” our famous free newsletter today!