It has been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic has raged the world. After a year of lockdown with all of us working from home and children studying from home, it has taken a toll on our mental wellness.
Our lifestyle has been turned upside down and over the past few months there has been a lot of talk about the mental wellbeing of young working professionals and children. But we tend to forget that with everyone in the family locked indoors all day, every day, mental health of the women at home has taken a toll too. Unsurprisingly, mental wellbeing has become a family affair. During the lockdown the number of women struggling with their mental wellbeing has increased from three to six in a group of ten.
Why is this happening?
The major reason is the day-to-day workload. Be it stay at home or working mothers the daily tasks have only spiked for them during this time. Ensuring that virtual schooling for the kids is on track, managing almost all the household chores from cooking to cleaning, all of this while juggling work from home did take a major toll on their mental and physical wellbeing.
It’s the same for mothers with older children. As the young professionals are busy adjusting the new normal of working virtually, the mothers are adjusting to the pattern of having us at home all day, every day. We might not realise but the cooking and pampering that she does for us while we’re busy attending our zoom meetings, is taking a lot more than usual of her personal time. All the change and let’s face it, the difficult news is only adding to her daily stressors and is causing anxiety and depression.
Waking up early to ensure that everyone can start their day bright and early, making breakfast and planning the lunch. All of this while preparing for her own very important meeting. Though the fathers and other family member pitch in, the major workload still remains her responsibility.
How can you help your mother?
We might not be great at cooking all the meals for the family, and our mothers might not like our dusting and laundry. But this doesn’t mean we cannot pitch in. Here’s what we can do to help our mother’s mental and physical wellbeing.
Decide and pitch in
You don’t need to pitch in for all the daily chores to help her. But you can do very simple things that take immense load off of her. Like, ensuring that you make your own bed every morning and keep your own space clean. Take out time from your busy schedules to make a cup of tea or coffee for her, she’ll appreciate it. Don’t make her force you have your meals on time, it’ll mean a lot to her if you make time for at least one family meal in the day.
Decide on a minimum of one task that every family member can take up every day, and doing it perfectly becomes their responsibility. This sets the priorities right for everyone. While you’re at it, make sure you remember all the tiny details she mentioned about how to do a particular task, if you don’t then she’ll go back and do it herself.
Encourage her to take up a hobby
All of us require an activity that we enjoy doing. It’s sort like an outlet for all of our mental and emotional energy. Encourage them to pick up on a hobby that they enjoy. We might have forgotten it, but all our mothers are super creative and talented. How else do you think you always had a super cool fancy dress costume every single time?
Picking up a hobby is like a choosing a stress release outlet. It becomes her go to thing when she wants to take a break from everything else. Push her to start learning the guitar or pick up sketching again. Encourage her in whatever she wants to do.
Be her support system
All of us need someone to lean on. Be that someone for her. Make time to talk to her every day. Maybe share your morning cup of tea or coffee together. Help her cook dinner for the family on the weekends. Pick up a hobby you both enjoy and do it together. Write her short and sweet loving notes now and then. Or even spend some quality time while giving and getting an extremely relaxing head massage. Listen to her while she talks to you. Spending quality time with you means a world to her.
Mothers are always there to listen to you complaining about everything, but are you there for her? She needs you as much as you need her, appreciate the time and the bond you share with her.
Support her to take up therapy
If you notice that she’s stressed or feeling mentally or emotionally overwhelmed due to all that’s happening around us then encourage her to go for a therapy session. It’s very likely that she’ll disregard this option completely, but make her mental and emotional wellbeing your responsibility. Talk to her about it and make her see the positive side of consulting a therapist to improve their emotional, mental and physical health.
Give her a gift of mindfulness
What’s “me time?” With taking care of everything and everyone at home she many a times will forget about herself. Remind her to take some time out for herself from her busy schedule. We all know that mindfulness is the key to a great physical, mental and emotional health. She knows it too, only thing is she prioritises everything over herself and that is the problem.
Gift her a subscription to ThinkRight.me, a meditation and mindfulness app to help you become healthier, happier, and more confident. This Mother’s Day to help her start out on this journey. If you just ask her to take out time for herself, she’ll most probably ditch that practice in a couple of days. What you can do instead, is start a journey of mindfulness together. You being a part of it will encourage her to stick along, it’s also a great way for you to pick up this practice. It’s a win-win, isn’t it?
This Mother’s Day it’s time to be there for the one person who has always been by your side. Start on this journey of mindfulness together.
You can gift a subscription using this link. Click here.
Make this Mother’s Day special for her!
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