How to help moms achieve goals without overwhelm
Skies the limit. This is one of the quotes you’ll always hear when it comes to choosing goals/dreams. What’s not told to many is that choosing the way to get those goals/dreams into reality can be overwhelming if not done correctly.
As moms, we often strive to excel in various aspects of our lives, be it parenting, career, or personal pursuits. I know because I’ve been there. I’ve been that working mom. I’ve been that stay-at-home Mom as well. And let me tell you, both of them can be overwhelming as one can take. Why? Because setting unrealistic goals can lead to feelings of overwhelm and burnout.
That’s why, through this, I hope to help fellow moms to understand more the importance of setting realistic goals and provide practical tips to help moms establish achievable goals, enabling you to navigate your journey with confidence and joy.
Do not that this doesn’t mean you’re putting your guard down or limiting yourself. It’s simply knowing and understanding limits on the things you need and can do so you can achieve them with confidence. Then after, add more to your plate to put you nearer to your goals/dreams not swamped with stress but instead actually enjoying the process.
The Importance of Setting Realistic Goals:
- Avoiding overwhelm: Setting realistic goals ensures that our aspirations align with our current capabilities and resources. It allows us to approach tasks and projects with a sense of clarity and focus, reducing the likelihood of becoming overwhelmed by unattainable expectations.
- Boosting motivation and confidence: Achieving realistic goals enhances our motivation and confidence, as it provides tangible evidence of our progress and capabilities. Each accomplishment fuels our belief in our abilities, empowering us to tackle new challenges with enthusiasm.
- Promoting work-life balance: Realistic goals would enable you to strike a balance between your various roles and responsibilities. By setting achievable targets, you can allocate time and energy to different aspects of your life, ensuring that neither your personal growth nor your family’s well-being is compromised.
Tips for Establishing Achievable Goals:
- Assess your current reality: Take stock of your current circumstances, including your available time, resources, and obligations. Understand your limitations and factor them into your goal-setting process.
- Break goals into smaller milestones: Divide larger goals into smaller, manageable milestones. This approach allows incremental progress, providing a sense of achievement and momentum along the way.
- Prioritize and focus: Identify the goals that align with your values and priorities. Instead of spreading yourself too thin, concentrate on a select few objectives that are truly meaningful to you.
- Set SMART goals: Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework provides structure and clarity, increasing the likelihood of success.
- Embrace flexibility and adaptability: Recognize that life is unpredictable, and circumstances may change. Be open to adjusting your goals as needed, allowing room for growth, learning, and unforeseen opportunities.
Life can be challenging as it can be especially when we have something we want to achieve. Setting realistic goals is a vital practice that can empower you to pursue success while maintaining balance and well-being. By establishing achievable goals, you can navigate your journey with greater clarity, focus, and confidence. Remember to assess your current reality, break goals into manageable milestones, prioritize, and stay adaptable. Embrace the joy of progress and celebrate each achievement along the way. With realistic goals, you can create a fulfilling and harmonious life, where success and happiness coexist.
With you know knowing all that, how did it change you on how you set your sights on achieving your goals? Are you more inspired to reach new heights while enjoying the journey?
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
Mothers are constantly under enormous societal pressure to attain perfection, which undoubtedly takes a toll on their mental well-being. I admired my mother’s perspective on this matter
These are really good reminders and tips. I often get overwhelmed with everything and that takes a toll on my creativity. I really need to prioritise everytime.
SMART goals is a technique that I have tried to overcome burnout. As you said very basic steps will help to overcome overwhelming feeling of doing so much.
Your insightful post on setting realistic goals truly resonates with the challenges moms face. The emphasis on avoiding overwhelm, boosting motivation, and work-life balance is spot on. Your practical tips offer a roadmap to success. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
I couldn’t agree with you about setting realistic goals as someone who has learned it the hard way. I really hope many parents realize and work on it instead of figuring it out the tough way.
Well written and truly said. We are humans and we are not perfect. Accepting that and still having realistic goals and how to achieve them. Beautifully put together.
We mom’s are human with limitations. But the hype is created like superwoman. They are multitasker and seriously it it impossible to do everything perfectly. Your tips are helpful those are juggling to balance work and home. But for stay at home mom’s need to also have realistic goals. By using your tips one can definitely achieve.
There is always such immense pressure on moms to be perfect. And I am sure it does a number on their mental health. I loved my mom’s approach to it. ‘You don’t need to do everything. You can’t pour from an empty cup’.
Mommy goals–surprisingly, I neither had them nor ever thought of them. I took each day as it came and was completely out of the race. I followed my own ways and trusted my instincts. But yes, for those who are thinking about setting goals, your tips are just right.
As a parent we know sometimes it can get so overwhelming to get things done in our professional and personal lives. I to am trying so very hard to get things done but I guess I would take a little more time to set
The biggest problem is the world has portrayed women to be like a multitasker and at the same time be successful. With this stress as moms there ia so much on their mind and that why I feel a post like this is very helpful.
I believe in being realistic just the way you said. I know what I can and what I will love to do without trying to be that perfect wife, daughter, daughter in law and now mom. All I that strongly believe is that if I am not happy then I will not be able to make people surrounding me happy. I try to do that much which I can do without creating pressure on me. in many cases I revolted when I was expected by my mom in law to be active in kitchen just like her and also work . I made it clear that I can cook occasionally on weekends but full fledged cooking and working is not possible for me. I even gave the support of a helper to her to manage and help her in the kitchen from my salary…. but you know that typical female egos… a daughter in law is bound to do house works no matter she comes tired from office and making financial contribution. But I remain strict on my stand and cleared if that’s sound too tough to her i will keep separate cook for me and her. I never tried to be perfect as I know I am not perfect…. and I have my limitations just like any other.
After becoming mother, from the early days of my child I made an effort to make my kid understand that his mom is working and she loves him but also need to work. I never tried to be a traditional mom because I know I will never be happy becoming one and if I am not happy I will never be able to keep my baby happy. I try to achieve goals being realistic only. Jeanine your post is a reminder to all those moms who tries too hard to be perfect neglecting their own wellbeing.
Moms are humans too and can’t do everything. We want to be successful in everything we do and it overwhelms us. The best way is to prioritize. A very important post.
This post is indeed a very helpful one. In today’s world, there’s this pressure on women to excel both outside and in the household forgetting she is just a human with limiting capabilities. All these biased expectations create mental pressure on us who constantly feel the need to achieve more and more. Extremely thankful to this post for helping many women like me to be grounded and helping us to plan realistically without burnout.
Women are somehow conditioned to believe that they have to manage everything perfectly and flawlessly and even though this may be possible otherwise, after becoming a mother it doesn’t happen. I can totally relate to your blog Jeannine. It is very important to set real time goals and not operate like we have 10 hands, even though we are expected too.
You have underlined all the practical things to achieve goals without getting overwhelmed in this post Jeanine.
There was a time, when I was praised a lot for handling my home, kids, and work perfectly by my in-laws but honestly speaking there came a time when I was sleep-deprived, alone, and irritable because I was trying to carry the burden of being perfect. I had to let go of that perfect image, hire some help, and start prioritizing to preserve my mental health. I am no more the perfect bahu but I am healthier.
moms are like superheroes. I really wonder sometimes how they manage everything. My mom is in her 70s now and even though she is free, she seems to keep wanting to do more housework. I guess, all the young moms would be happy to adopt a more realistic routine with your post, keeping more things suited to their interests as well.
Setting realistic goals is crucial, especially for moms juggling multiple responsibilities.
It’s a reminder that achieving goals doesn’t mean sacrificing your well-being; it’s about pursuing dreams with confidence and joy.
I wish this message reaches most new age parents who have high expectations and want to realise their dream in via their children. Every child is a self contained human and will work towards what they are seeking according to their line of thinking and knowledge. Parents should always support their kids and be there to pick them up if they falter. Teen suicides have become an everyday thing.
As someone who tends to be overly ambitious, this blog post has been an eye-opener. It’s clear that setting realistic goals doesn’t mean settling for less; it means being smarter about how you approach them.