Sometimes everything comes at you at once, like a perfect storm of stress. Parenting, work, life, kids, and even mundane little things like tasks to do around the house can get to a person sometimes, especially after a crazy holiday season like Christmas.
The other day I ordered a pizza and when they asked me for my name, I spelled it wrong.
Everybody has different ways to unwind and relax but the important thing is to remember to DO IT. You’re no good to anyone else if you’re stressed out, and although it’s difficult for parents in particular to do, sometimes you have to put yourself first.
These are a few ways that I use technology in my life to try and “tech” care of myself, relax, de-stress and get my Mom-brain recharged.
Games: Playing games on your smartphone or tablet is a great way to de-stress. It uses a part of your brain that makes you forget that you still have things like laundry and groceries to deal with, while simultaneously sharpening your concentration, problem solving and memory skills. Some of my fave games right now are Cut The Rope, Fruit Ninja and Pudding Monsters.
Organize: Keeping track of day to day events can be mind boggling, between kids’ activities, appointments, work deadlines and other events, it’s hard to keep track of things. Try using the Cozi app or a Google calendar to help keep your family on track with what everyone is doing.
Read: I love to read, and being able to read online using my Kobo or tablet makes it even easier. Whether I’m looking for the latest edition of my fave magazine or the hot new book everyone is talking about, I can download it in minutes and be curled up by the fire reading by the time it takes to say “Mummy’s Having A Time-Out.” Love it.
Fitness: there are a lot of apps that you can use to get your fitness mojo back in working order. Using technology to stay fit is like having your own personal trainer in your pocket. A few great apps to use for this are iFitness Pro, P90X and Pocket Yoga.
Cooking: Technology isn't all about apps & smartphones. Two of my very best tech-friends in the kitchen are my crock pot and my bread maker. Throw some ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning (this is one of my faves) and then turn about to the bread maker and pour in a few ingredients that I already have on hand, close the lid and press a button. The kids came home from school to the smells of a delicious dinner cooking with fresh bread baking and automatically think I had slaved all day—when in fact I had taken some “me-time” to do some reading and writing.
THAT is multi-tasking at its finest.
Don’t neglect your soul. It’s your creative energy and things like photography, music and reading all feed it. Go outside and take some photos on your phone and then play around with them on some apps like KitCam or ColourSplash. If you have Apple TV, fire up your fave playlist and play it loud through your entertainment system. Check out a website like Songza and discover different music moods that will feed your musical soul.
Finally, (and it’s hard for me to say this but oh-so-necessary) don’t be afraid to unplug! Technology overload can hit a busy Mummy hard and fast. Chances are that if you have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop you’re on it multiple times throughout the day. The world won’t come to a crashing halt if you ignore your tech devices for a few hours and relax.
Trust me.
Printer-friendly version