Do you want to feel better, have more energy, feel less stressed and handle your day-to-day life with ease? Then it just may be the time to get rid of one, two, or even more of the habits you’ll find below. 

Things Moms Should Quit
for Better Well-Being in 2024

Screen before bedtime 

It’s easy to think that just a few minutes of reading our phone when we get into bed will do us no harm. Yet the truth of the matter is that those two minutes invariably turn into hours as well as endlessly scrolling, searching for that dopamine hit that social media provides. Not to mention the blue light we’re absorbing at the same time, which when combined with the stimulation of being online can make drifting off into a restful sleep almost impossible! 

Of course, the answer is to give up your phones before bedtime and choose another activity instead. Reading is a great one because it provides your brain with something to focus on, but can also be relaxing and down-regulating at the same time.

Meditation can also be a good activity to do when you get ready for bed, as it can help you assess the state of your mind and the action you will need to take to get the best night’s sleep. 

You may also be wondering what to do about setting your alarms, or if someone has an emergency and tries to contact you in the night. One option is to set up your phone to charge within your bedroom, but not right next to the bed, so you can’t get to it without moving. You may also want to invest in a traditional alarm clock to help you ensure you still get up in the morning. 

Being couch potato 

While it can be very tempting to act like a couch potato, especially when the weather is cold, it’s not the best thing you can do to boost your well-being. This is because even small regular amounts of exercise can help improve your mood, supply freshly oxygenated blood to your body and brain, and expel any toxins that have built up in your system. 

The key to achieving regular exercise is to find something you love. That means if you hate going to the gym, replace it with long walks, dance classes or taking the kids on bike rides. There are so many wonderful activities that we can do now like rock climbing, trampolining, and pole dance that there is bound to be something out there for you that helps you keep your body moving. 

Also, don’t forget to start small and build up your exercise duration. This way, you’ll be helping your body as you are much less likely to get injured if you don’t push too hard at first. You will make things much easier on your mind as well as you will begin by making it simple to succeed and the satisfaction you get from this will spur you on to continue over the long term.   

Sugar 

Quitting sugar is a topic that has made quite a stir in the media lately, with many people comparing it to addictive drugs and poison. There are also plenty of people raving about how much better they feel once they have decided to no longer consume sugar, and there is some scientific research on blood glucose levels to back this up too. 

However, as sugar is in just about everything to some degree, a better approach might be to reduce the amount of sugar you eat and to know how to consume it more responsibly. Eat in a way that avoids glucose spikes in the blood which can be particularly damaging to health. To do this it’s important to eat a balanced diet including fats, fiber and proteins, and to avoid eating items that contain refined sugar before you have consumed these other nutrients. 

Always being busy

When you’re a mom, being busy feels like the natural state of being. There is always something that needs to be done from work demands to cleaning the home, to attending to your family’s physical and emotional needs.

However, constantly being in busy mode can be incredibly harmful both for our mental and physical well-being. This is because our bodies and minds never get a chance to wind down and relax which means they are constantly swamped with cortisol, the stress hormone. Extended exposure to cortisol has been linked to all sorts of issues including emotional lability, irritability, and depression. 

Weaning ourselves from the addiction of being busy can also be a challenge. It’s often easier to stay operating at one speed, because those that slow down have to speed back up again. Busyness is also worn as a badge of honor in our society, with the number of tasks we get done in a day dictating whether we feel good or bad about ourselves. 

I think the key here is to be gentle with ourselves and to realize that breaking the busy habit won’t happen all at once, and that’s okay. It’s also about slowing down mentally and being mindful of what we are, and what sensations, feelings and experiences we may be running away from. 

It’s also about turning at least some of the time when we would have been busy into a time of rest. A time when we do nothing instead of anything to stay busy and allow ourselves to be rather than do. 

Alcohol

There are so many reasons to quit or reduce our consumption of alcohol, not least of all that it’s full of empty calories which can make staying at a healthy weight even more of a struggle than it already is. For many of us, drinking alcohol can be more than a dietary issue and can cause issues with our relationships, behavior and our ability to work as well.

If this is the case for you, then you may want to consider finding a facility that offers addiction treatment that is modern, and comprehensive. Many addiction centers now treat dual diagnosis including mental health issues and eating disorders, which can often work hand in hand to make addiction work. 

By providing yourself with the right level of support, you can get the help you need to live your life free of alcohol addiction. Something that, over the long term, can not only boost your mental health but your emotional well-being as well. 

Commuting to work 

You may think that quitting your commute to work is crazy. After all, how would you get to work otherwise? Well, there are two things to consider here. The first is whether you need to travel to work at all or whether you can choose to work from home instead. 

There are many benefits to working from home including missing out on having to go through a stressful commute to and from your place of work every day. You’ll also gain back additional hours in the day in which to do other things such as workout, study and relax which can give you a big well-being boost too! 

The other thing to consider is that if you do have to commute to work, can you make it less unpleasant and stressful? For instance, could you leave a few minutes earlier so you beat the rush? You may also choose a de-stressing playlist to listen to in the car or use the time to listen to audiobooks. 

Alternatively, what about not having to worry about the hassle of driving to work every day, and taking the train, or bus instead? Then you get to be a passenger which gives you more time to do other things like reading, listening to podcasts or even daydreaming if you prefer. 

Having no time for yourself 

Having time for yourself can seem like an impossibility when you are a busy mom! With many mommas reporting that they don’t even have 5 minutes to use the toilet on their own! However, because it’s at a premium, making time for yourself is that much more important for your well-being. 

With that in mind, finding some ways to make sure you get at least a little time every day for yourself is crucial. When the kids are young this may mean leaving them with their other parent for a while, or safely in a playpen so you can step away for a moment and decompress. 

It can also mean finding some more permanent childcare solutions that allow you to do other things in your life that you value such as taking up a hobby, spending time with your friends, or in the community. 

Taking up a hobby can be particularly useful if it’s more time to yourself you are craving, because it gives you a clear reason to mark out some time to not do anything else. Taking up a hobby can also boost your well-being in several other ways as well, including helping you make connections with your local community, giving you a mindset from the responsibilities in your life, and building your confidence by learning or practicing new skills.