How to be Happy as a Stay at Home Mom

Helpful tips for finding JOY at home, if you struggle with being happy as a stay at home mom, OR with finding purpose as a homemaker.

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Do you feel like you’ve lost your zest as a stay-at-home mom or homemaker? Or maybe you never had it to begin with?! Does every day feel like a battle and you begin and end the day feeling sad or unfulfilled?

If so, don’t you worry! A lot of women struggle with not being happy at home and not feeling like they have purpose as stay-at-home moms and homemakers. Some homemakers are even bored, while others are overwhelmed.

Whether you’re uninspired, overwhelmed, or just straight unhappy, this post is for YOU. You don’t have to live every day feeling this way.

Being a stay-at-home mom and homemaker can be fun, fulfilling, and JOYFUL. We just have to be intentional in a few areas to make sure we’re getting the most out of it. And not getting in a negative rut. Wanna know how? Let’s get right into it!

Here are my favorite ways to find JOY as a stay-at-home mom and homemaker.

Have Schedules & Routines

Having schedules and routines will help you and your family to THRIVE at home. Its no fun to be muddling through your day with no rhythm or rhyme to what you’re doing. It will cause a lot of chaos and it will really put a damper on your mood.

They can also help (a ton!) with overwhelm!

There are PLENTY of tips and posts in internet land on schedules and routines. You just have to try some out and see what works best for you. Everyone mom, family, and home is different.

And don’t forget that your routines will change over time and in the different seasons of life you’re in. Therefore, your schedules and routines should always be adapting as well. They’re a flow!

Schedules and routines are amazing for stay-at-home moms because they help you AND your kids to know what to expect each day. You can be more productive without the stress. You can PLAN for productivity and PLAN for rest.

Your never-ending to-do list can have a chance at getting done.

I have a few different posts related to this if you’re interested:

How to Plan Your Week at Home

Homemaking Checklist: So You Can Get it All DONE

3 Best Weekly Cleaning Schedules

I also have a WHOLE ebook on schedules and routines for the old fashioned homemaker. Click HERE to see if its something you’d be interested in.

Make Time for Hobbies

Being a stay-at-home mom and homemaker means you spend a lot of time helping your family and your home. Your life kind of revolves around other people. Which is an amazing thing!!

As a stay-at-home mom you spend your days taking care of your sweet little kiddos, making sure they stay fed, training them, playing with them, the list goes on. If you’re in the zone of child caring, you might completely disregard spending any time throughout the day on something that’s for you.

It can be easy to get caught up in the kids and the home that you don’t spend ANY time doing things that you love and enjoy and that bring you happiness.

ALL of us have things we like doing… SO make time every day to do them. Nap time is a great time for this! But even just 5 minutes every day spent doing something you love can do wonders.

Its up to you to find what your passions are and if they’re feasible to work in to your day as a stay-at-home mom and homemaker, then work them in.

For example, I love sewing. I know that I can easily go and buy decor and textiles for our home from the store, but it just brings me JOY to make them myself. For this reason, I take the time on a regular basis to get out my sewing machine and get creative. Sometimes its during nap time but other times its in the middle of the day, with littles climbing all over me.

Even though it takes effort, finding hobbies and passions you can do WHILE being a stay-at-home mom can be so helpful for your happiness.

Get Dressed & Ready Every Day

One way to give yourself an attitude boost when you’re at home is to get dressed and ready each morning. Getting dressed and ready will give you a sense of purpose and help you to just feel generally happier.

Have you ever spent the whole day in pajamas and felt great about it at the end of the day? I haven’t either!

Wake up 15 minutes earlier each morning so that you have a little time before your kids get up to get yourself ready. Find a quick routine for your hair and makeup. Choose some outfits that are functional, practical, yet make you feel beautiful.

RELATED: Homemaker Outfit: How to Dress for a Day at Home

There will definitely be days where you’re in your husbands sweats with a messy bun the whole day. But if you can help it, getting dressed and ready can make a big difference in your attitude.

Make Your Workspace Pretty

Your workspace is your home! You’re in it all day every day, looking at your surroundings. An easy way to give you an attitude boost is to make your home pretty and attractive to look at.

Now, pretty is completely and totally subjective to YOU. A clean(ish) home is definitely more enjoyable to look at than a home that’s a total pig-sty. But other than that its personal to you.

Decorate your home in a way that makes you happy! Put up family photos on your walls that bring you joy.

Set out fresh flowers. Open your windows. Enjoy your home:)

And on another note (I hope this doesn’t get taken the wrong way), make your kiddos enjoyable to look at. Get THEM dressed and ready, and do their hair and brush their teeth.

Not only is this a great habit to teach kids, but it can help with your mood as a stay-at-home mom. There are days where I am really productive at home, but I let the kids stay in their PJs all day with messy hair, and to be honest I don’t feel good at the end of the day!

Looking at your cute kids looking fresh and put together can help you to feel happier. They don’t have to be all done up! Just clean and fresh and ready for a good day at home.

Find Purpose in Doing Your Job Well

This may be contrary to popular opinion, but I think one way to be happier as a stay-at-home mom is to try to be better.

Let me explain myself. I DO NOT think perfection is healthy or feasible or good for your happiness. There’s always two sides, and its important to give yourself grace.

BUT I also don’t think its talked about enough nowadays that working hard at something is good and worthwhile, your motherhood and homemaking are no different.

Being productive is so satisfying!

If you’re sitting around every day and not making progress and not thinking about making progress, that can be a real bummer.

As soon as you decide that you want to be an intentional stay-at-home mom and a great homemaker, and that you’re always going to be working at it, you’ll have your purpose.

When you have a sense of purpose, you’ll be happier.

Listen to Music, Get outside, Open Your Windows

Don’t forget the simple, practical things that will make you happy as a stay-at-home mom and homemaker. If you’re having a rough day, turn on some music and have a dance party with the kiddos!

Make a point to set out fresh flowers on a regular basis. Every time you see them you’ll get an attitude boost.

Be intentional about taking the kiddos outside every day. Don’t just send them out, take them out. Being outside will help you and your kids to feel refreshed. Try and make it a habit to do it every day.

If the weather is nice, open a window. It takes two seconds to do and can make you happier in that moment!

Call a friend when you’re feeling down. Say a prayer. Drink a big ol’ glass of ice water, etc.

Practice Gratitude

I used to think it was an interesting thing to say “practice” gratitude. It doesn’t seem like something you can practice. BUT, it totally is!

Being grateful is a skill you can build up over time, through consistent practice.

Practicing gratitude can be keeping a gratitude journal, daily prayer, having an accountability, mom friend, that you talk to every day about what you’re grateful for, etc.

Practicing gratitude will help you to become a more grateful person, which will in turn help you to become a happier stay-at home mom and homemaker.

Our roles as homemakers and stay-at-home moms are an incredible blessing! How amazing that we get to do this every day.

Be sure to remember that (we all need reminders) on a regular basis, and practice being grateful for your kids, your husband, and your home EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

I hope this post was helpful to you and that you can find JOY and PASSION in your role at home. You got this mama!

If this post was helpful, please share it so others can find it. Happy homemaking!

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