How to feel fabulous? Get ahead of the burnout. I’ve gone through my dramatic falls… we all have. We conquer, fail and then rise again. I’m thinking the cycle just goes with this motherhood job description. The movie Bad Moms has inspired me to rise more than I fall now, once and for all. ONCE AND FOR ALL.
In the movie, Mila Kunis plays an overworked and under-appreciated mom who hits a breaking point and flips out to rebel against being the perfect mom. To answer your question, yes: She takes store bought donut holes to the school bake sale. Oh no she didn’t. Oh yes she did. (The movie is HILARIOUS. Over the top. The ultimate fantasy for modern moms that will actually have you laughing out loud and never looking at the grocery store in the same way again…)
Avoiding burnout is no joke — it’s survival. It took me a few years to figure out what works for me, but I’m getting better and better at it lately. My most successful strategy? Skipping Sunday night family dinners. My husband’s family has a longtime tradition to meet every Sunday night, with all (10!) of the grandkids in tow, for a weekly dinner to kick off the week. It’s really very sweet and forms a strong family bond. I used to go… but then I stopped. I stopped in the name of taking control of my down time.
You see, I don’t really have down time, nor did I ever schedule it. EVER. It wasn’t healthy. (No wonder I flipped out.)
Photo by Scenario Photography: ScenarioPhoto.com
So, I eventually came to the conclusion that, in order to give myself the down time I needed, I needed to start skipping Sunday night dinners. If you’re Armenian (like me) this is a big no no — to skip Sunday night family dinners.
But, I did…. and I still do. Without guilt. Every week, I now (usually) have almost 2 hours to myself… to just be. (To BE!) Why? Because Sunday nights are literally the ONLY nights I can claim for myself — to get organized, to clear my head, to watch crappy TV in an effort to think about nothing. Sometimes I lay on the couch, sometimes I go to the gym, sometimes I do hit the market (which can actually be relaxing, considering I use the time without kids to take advantage of the imported cheese samples). Maybe I’ll start booking Zeel now (visit them and use the code FABMOM for $25 off your first massage).
I’m such a Bad Mom. Except I’m not… and neither are you if you do what you absolutely need to keep yourself thriving from the inside-out. Because burnout is no fun. No fun at all. Let’s learn from this movie, ladies.
Need more backup to get ahead of the burnout, in the name of productivity and sane modern motherhood? Check out my recent CBS Los Angeles segment, featuring the wisdom of the Bad Moms themselves. Thanks gals. WATCH video below, enjoy and don’t be afraid to be bad. We deserve it sometimes:
Since February 17, 2016, you can now catch “The FAB Mom on 2” every Wednesday night at 5pm and Friday mornings at 6:30am on CBS Los Angeles’ Channel 2! Like CBSLA on Facebook, Like The FAB Mom’s *NEW* Facebook Page and comment, ask, request and shout what YOU want us to talk about. And share, share, share what you like on Twitter & Facebook using #CBSLA … just like your mama taught ya.
