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Guest Post By Mamie L. Pack
Wow, momma! You have made the big decision to go back to work.
Get ready. Your world is about to shift.
Whether you have been a stay-at-home mom one year or ten, deciding to go back to work (either from home as a mompreneur or hitting the 9-5 traditional workspace) can be both exhilarating and stressful.
I’ve been there. After spending six years as a stay-at-home mom with my four boys while enduring several military deployments, I remember when it was time to transition back into my career. Even though I was excited, life looked very different. When I previously worked, I only had two sons, a support system, and a husband who came home every day. Now, I needed to make adjustments for a family of six, children in different schools, along with the requirements of a new job.
Just for a moment, panicked kicked in. What was I thinking?
Do you find yourself in this same blurry place between being both excited and nervous about transitioning back to work after being a stay-at-home mom?
If so, you are in the right place. Here are seven simple tips to limit your stress so you can ease into the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom.
Discuss Expectations
Now you have made the big decision to step back into the workforce having clear expectations for yourself, your marriage, and your family is vital. Before going back to work, spend time brainstorming how working will impact your family. Consider changes to your family schedules, routines, and commitments.
Once you have spent some time reflecting, be sure to include your spouse and family members in the conversation about what to expect with the new change. Allow time for everyone to express their enthusiasm and their concerns, while discussing ways to address each issue.
Prioritize Time for Your Spouse
As early as possible, talk with your spouse about how working will impact how you work as a team. Understand your expectations may shift as you adjust to your new job. Scheduling a regular time to talk each week as a couple and family will help with the transition.
Who will do the meal prep or grocery shopping? What about your regular Tuesday play date at your local library? When will you do date night? Carving out time to connect will go along way as you both adjust to the changes in your time and household.
Give Yourself Time to Adjust
Whether you decide to go back to work outside your home or work from home, access to your time now looks entirely different. It’s important to give yourself and your family time to adjust to the new change.
Expect routines to be awkward, emotions stretched, and some hard moments. The adjustments will take time for everyone. Remember momma, be gentle with yourself.
Preparation is Key
Poor nighttime routines or meal prep at the beginning of the week often leads to stressful mornings for EVERYONE. Each night lay out everything needed for the next day. Have your kids lay out their clothes, pack their bookbags, place their shoes by the door and pack their lunch.
This prep time limits rushing and confusion in the mornings, along with the dreaded “I can only find one shoe” issue that is sure to pop up. The same goes for you too! Pack your lunch, pick out your clothes, and have your work bag ready to go.
Because who wants to go through the “nothing fits because I am bloated” routine in the morning?
Deal With Your emotions
With all of the excitement of going back to work, it’s easy to let yourself become preoccupied with all the moments you are missing out on by not being at home with your little one. Friend, no mom wants to miss important milestones.
We all long to see the first steps and hear the first words. Instead of being your best at work, you are torn between the chapter that is closing and the new chapter you are beginning.
Don’t ignore your emotions; deal with them.
Admit to yourself how you feel, then reframe your mindset. Instead of focusing on the moments you are missing, think of all the moments you will have together and the benefits of going back to work. You are in charge of your time, so create opportunities for you to make memories your children can only have with you.
Remember why you are going back to work. Maybe your career allows your children to have a better life and more opportunities. Maybe your children need to see their mom walk in her purpose both in the home and in the community. Decide now to kick all that working mom guilt to the curb!
Be Present
One of the best suggestions given to me when I transitioned back into my profession is, “Wherever you are, be all there.”
While you are at work, give your work your full attention. Be professional, be prepared, and be phenomenal. Your gifts are impactful both in your profession and in your home. The temptation will be there to want to blur the lines but don’t. Set workplace boundaries in place as soon as possible.
When you are at home, give your home your full attention. Hug your kids. Play the games. Go on the dates with your spouse. Spend time with friends. Any energy you have is best served being where you are. You can fulfill whatever work requirements you have when you are at work, so be present momma!
When you create healthy workplace and home boundaries you will be a more effective momma and professional.
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Transitioning from a stay-at-home mom to a working mom is an exciting time. Don’t allow stress to overshadow this new season. Implementing these tips can help ease the transition so you can enjoy being both a professional and a momma!
Author Bio
Mamie L. Pack has
Website: https://mamiepack.com
Instagram: @mamielpack
Facebook: @mamielpack
This is one I am saving I may be going back to work soon and it is a challenging situation. Discussing expectations I think is the most important.
I’m so glad you could find this helpful on your upcoming journey, Rachel! Going back to work – whether it is as a 9-5 job or deciding to build a business from home is a huge transition. Good luck with everything!
Going back to work is definitely hard. I just did a post about how to get the job when you are ready which goes hand in hand with this. Life completely shifts when mom takes on new responsibilities so it is definitely a transition and communication is key!
There are definitely a lot of changes when you decide to go back to work – whether it’s at a traditional 9-5 or deciding to build your own business from home. But you are right, communication is key and will help you navigate through so much of the tough stuff when it comes up!
Prioritize time with your spouse is most important for me. If partners are not at the same page, there will be problems. Nice post.
That is so important, Nadia! Often I find that even though we know it is the most important when juggling work-life balance, it is the one thing that I will sacrifice if I need to – which I need to work on.
Great post, these tips are thought provoking as one day I will need to head back into the workplace. I experienced the opposite about 3 years ago. I went from a full career as an Oncology Nurse Practitioner to being at home with the kids full time. That is a huge transition, too. Wow. It took me maybe a couple of years to adjust to this. Lots of emotions involved going the opposite way as well!
You are so right, Jenny! Either way is a huge transition (I have done both myself as well). I think this applies if you decide to work from home as well. Creating that balance is so important.
Definitely, hard work wether it’s being a full time stay at home mom or working it’s all work. I stayed home for about 3 years and I was exhausted work 24/7 and no pay ? ?. I did enjoy it but I missed socializing with adults. So my husband and I decided I would work part time until our kids are old enough to stay alone, I love it I work 25 hours a week and I am off in the summers since I teach preschool it’s the best of both worlds and it works for our family!!!Oh and I don’t want to or miss working 40 hour weeks at all!!!
That sounds like a perfect work-life balance, Anahi! I also missed the adult socializing aspect when I stayed at home so I can totally relate!
I’m sure it takes some adjustments to go back to the workforce. Best of luck for moms in this boat!
It sure does take some adjustment, Mary! Whether you are going back to the traditional 9-5 workplace or just starting up a new work-from-home business, if you plan well, you should have a good chance at work-life-balance.
Love this article. This has helped me a lot since I work full-time and I am a blogger. It is really tough.
Totally, Ashley. Transitioning to full-time work after being a stay at home mom, whether it’s to a job outside of the home or running your own business can definitely be tough. I’m glad that you are finding this article helpful!