There's too much noise and confusion.. I’m about to Lose It!

It’s the end of the day and I am exhausted. I have been through every emotion possible. I still have to cook, everyone needs a bath, and the kids are whining instead of talking. There are so many needs at the same time. Why is everything setting me off? The tv is entirely too loud, the dog is barking, the kids are arguing & fighting, and they won’t stop touching me to tell on each other. The evening is full of chaos! The only way to respond is to yell and send everybody to their rooms because I need a moment. I wasn’t ready for this side of Motherhood….

Overstimulation is real! It’s a whole new level of anxiety. This is a part of being a mom that nobody really talks about. Who knew that as an adult I would experience sensory overload? But when I really think about it, it makes so much sense. We are human and the heavy mental load in addition to our day to day activities can become too much to process all at once. I noticed that almost every evening I would be on edge. I would have a very short fuse and no patience. My kids would need my attention but I didn’t have the mental capacity to give. So now comes the guilt. It’s not their fault and I didn’t have to scream and yell. I should have more patience and be able to balance it all. That’s what Moms do! We are supposed to balance it all and I am coming up short because I lost it.

I had to find another way. It’s not fair to my kids or myself to feel and act this way. I want to be more present. I want to be calm and less irritable.There are ways to minimize the overload. It’s about paying attention to those sensitive moments and controlling what I allow myself to take in at one time.

Overcoming being Overstimulated

I created an evening routine to give us all more predictability. If we all have something to do at an appointed time and order it will cut down on the “down time” that builds up chaos. My children immediately come home, wash their hands and change clothes for snacks. After snack they are to go to their rooms for individual wind down time to relax and decompress. While they have independent time I also take time to decompress. If necessary I would do a brain dump to release all the ongoing thoughts in my head. I start dinner and once everything is set, assist with homework. Followed by dinner and bedtime routine. It has helped tremendously.

I also made it a priority to establish days where I lighten my load. Scheduling a day for pizza, sandwiches, or breakfast makes it easy to get in and out of the kitchen. I limit myself to one big big chore a day.

Last but not least I give myself grace. I know that it’s okay to do what I can while also forgiving myself for what I didn’t accomplish. Balance is understanding that some days will be awesome and others a bit of a challenge. I’m okay with that!