Dear weary Mom, hang in there!

I don’t know about you, but I am a weary mom today.

Usually when I hear that term I think of bleary-eyed young women adjusting to their new role as a parent.

But moms at any stage can feel tuckered out, worn down, full of worry and just plain overwhelmed.

Moms of younger children are still waiting to grow those extra arms they so badly need.

Mothers of older children are wondering how they went from being the coolest and smartest to most clueless and stupidest.

Matriarchs are questioning how they can still lose sleep over their bambinos, even though they have grown up and begun families of their own.

 Personally, I have spent a great deal of time stressing over our impending thousand-mile move to TN, now just over a week away.

Truth be told, I had a melt-down this weekend.

Thank goodness my dear hubbie helped me regain my footing by asking me this:

Honey, what advice would you give one of your readers in this situation?

How I love how wise my husband is, and how often I frown and grit my teeth at his wisdom.

I did have an epiphany, though.

I believe there is a common element to being worn out:

We try to control what is beyond our control.

With our attempts at control comes worry.

With worry comes weariness.

We want our spouses to be loving and supportive dads.

We want our children to be good and responsible people.

We want our lives to go the way we hope and expect them to go.

We have to recognize the only control we have is self-control.

That’s it.

Here is a simple exercise that may help you let go of what you cannot control and help you focus on what you can.

Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the center.

Label the left column Things I can control.

Label the right column Things I can’t control 

Take a few minutes and list your concerns in either of those columns.

To help you out, I am sharing my list I wrote some time ago.

Here is what I can control:

Here is what I can’t control:

Now take your list of what you can’t control.

Pick one item, and choose instead to devote your energy to something you can control.

Here are some links to help you do that:

On surrendering and letting go

 There is no Door #4

A must have decision making tool

The five why’s: a simple problem solving technique

The truth is that we cannot change others or force them to do or be what we want.

However, we can lead by example by living a life full of  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,humility, and self-control.

Question: What do you want or need to let go of today?

Did you like this and find it useful? I’d be so grateful if you’d share it with your friends so they can be encouraged too. Just click on the share buttons below!

Or, you can tweet by CLICKING HERE: When we try to control, we worry. Worry causes weariness. Time to let go!

Join me: Linking up at Happy Wives Club, Soli Deo Gloria, Weary Mom

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