5 Steps to Enjoy Motherhood

You could be a happy mum if the children would only stop fighting or did as they were told. You could enjoy motherhood more if your partner did more housework or gave you more time out. Or if you had more money, right?
Well, here's the thing. If you wait for the behaviour of your children/husband or your financial status to reach certain conditions in order for you to be happy, you are placing your happiness into someone or something else's hands, and thus it becomes purely by chance that you will experience happiness.
Why not put the power to be happy back into your own hands by becoming personally responsible for it? You cannot control another person's behaviour, but you can control your own. Here are just five tips that will help you to become a happier mum, enjoy motherhood and control how much happiness you experience in your life:
1. Observe your thoughts
What are you saying to yourself? Become the observer and analyse what you say to yourself and the effect it has on your emotions. Often anger arises when we continue negative dialogues with ourselves which escalates into external outrage. Also, we can get attached to an idea or picture we create of how something needs to be done or how an outcome should look. We often compare current life to the one we had before children. When you become a parent, housework cannot get done in 6 hour sessions anymore. You cannot take off for a weekend away alone without prior organising and planning. The reality is that life has changed and you have to consciously change the way you think about your current lifestyle. Consider whether your expectations are realistic or whether you are stuck in the past and the way you used to be able to do things.
2. Accept the NOW
Whatever you are experiencing, that is what you are experiencing. There is nothing positive that comes from wishing it were another way, or hating the way that it is. Become the observer to unenjoyable situations (eg tantrum, disobedience) with acceptance, rather than resistance. If you are angry, observe the anger. EXPERIENCE the event and all that it entails (your reaction, emotions, thoughts, circumstances) and accept it as it is. Resistance causes you to stay stuck in it, acceptance helps you detach, become more objective about it and handle it smoother. "Okay, it is what it is, so what am I going to do about it?"
3. Know what you want
We often get stuck in our problems because we don't take time to consider what we really want. Do I want more time out? Do I want to be calmer? Do I want to improve my relationship? Be specific about what exactly this entails. Do I want 4 hours of time out, or a day, or a week? Know what you want, so that you can then create a plan to get it.
4. Be Solution Focussed
Next, ask yourself, 'What do I need to do to get what I want?' then resource how to fix this problem and create a plan to achieve it. Find behaviour strategies, learn skills, take time- out if that's what you want. Put your attention on the solution and how you are going to move out of this unenjoyable situation, rather than staying stuck in the problem.
5. Personal Development. Discover the YOU Inside the Mum.
What about you? Take the time to learn about yourself, build your self-esteem and self-confidence. Find ways to overcome bad habits, handle past issues that often present themselves when becoming a mum, learn how you have become the person you are and consciously work towards being who you want to be.
The final piece to the Happy Mum puzzle is to seek happiness from inside yourself. When you learn true self-love and inner peace, it will radiate out into your external world and you will experience a happier life. You will interact differently with your children and that will be reciprocated in their behaviour. You will experience deeper relationships, overcome the lows of life quicker and experience more of the highs of life.
Enjoy motherhood by putting the responsibility to enjoy life back into your hands and discover yourself from the inside out.
Want more Self Help and Personal Development information specifically in the context of raising children? You can achieve calmness, balance, passion and happiness by putting yourself back in charge of your life. Vist http://www.selfhelpformums.com and find the YOU Inside the Mum Workshop, useful information, FREE membership and a mother's forum that supports members with questions and advice about their personal self help journey, all in the context of raising children.
The YOU Inside the Mum Workshop covers topics such as: Finding happiness, controlling your mindset, Handling anger and guilt, Discovering your personal identity, finding your passion, Time Management, Time Out, Creating the Ultimate Relationship & Four Friends that will have your Soaring through Motherhood. This unique and comprehensive workshop will have you living the way you desire, without having to wait for your children to reach a certain developmental age, go to school, or turn 18. Learn how to live a happy and inspirational life TODAY at Self Help for Mums.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jackie_Hall