The Real Reason Mums are Incapable of Sitting Down

This morning, after a god-awful night’s sleep thanks to it being day 324 of Summer in England, I decided it would be a wonderful idea to paint the playhouse. By myself, with a two year old and a four year old. I’m sure you can already see where this is headed…

Fast forward half an hour, I was feeling pretty proud of my progress. Until I looked down.

I can confirm, sadly, it was not sun cream. Cue some parenting I’m not proud of, featuring some shouting with the odd expletive.

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Once the paint was eventually all washed off I got to thinking: why on earth did I think this would be a good idea?! Then it dawned on me.

All morning I’d felt uncomfortable. That particular kind of wired tired restlessness where you can’t sit still even though you have absolutely nothing left in the tank.

Instead of resting what did I do? I fell into the trap I think all mums do from time to time. I took action. Because apparently sitting down when I’m exhausted is harder for me than getting a tin of paint out and starting an entirely unnecessary DIY project with two small children.

I’ve been noticing recently that when I feel overwhelmed or anxious, I can’t stop. I do the opposite. I find something to do with the mentality of, ‘I’ll push through’. Because if I can finish a task I’ll have something I can point to and think, there. At least I did that.

Except this morning it didn’t make me feel better. It just added to that feeling in the pit of my stomach. And when a two year old behaved exactly like a two year old and played with the paint I’d left out, I didn’t have the patience for it.

For a long time I’ve confused getting things done with feeling better:

When the kitchen is tidy, I’ll relax.

When I finish this ironing, I’ll sit down.

If I just get these few things done first, then I’ll feel like I can stop.

Except there is always. another. thing. It turns out motherhood is particularly good at supplying them!

I’m starting to realise how uncomfortable I actually am with doing nothing and how often “I need to rest” somehow turns into “I’ll just do this first”.

I’m not writing this from the other side of it with a neatly packaged five-step solution for becoming a calmer mum who knows when she’s reached her limit. Obviously. There is currently a half-painted playhouse in my garden that would make that quite a difficult sell! I do feel I’m getting better at noticing it though.

Some days I can catch myself before I spiral. But today I half painted a playhouse on four hours’ sleep with two small children.

So, you know. I’m a mum that hasn’t got it all figured out. I’m a work in progress! Let me know below if you are too, I read every single comment 💗

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A little note about mum+

The everyday life management app I built just for mums

mum+ won’t stop me deciding to paint a playhouse when I should probably be sitting down with a cuppa. I’m not sure any app can save me from myself to that extent.

I built it for all the everyday stuff:

The school non-uniform day, things we need from the shop, appointments, saved recipes, things to do, handy links I know I’ll need again and all the other bits of mum life that somehow end up scattered between my brain, screenshots, Notes and more random apps than I care to count.

mum+ gives that stuff one place to live. Not so I can get more done, just so there’s a little less for me to carry around with me while I’m doing everything else.

Because motherhood will probably always be a lot.

I just want to make one bit of it easier.

Try it free here: mum+ app 💗

Kia x
Founder of mum+