Knackered!!

QueenB_3

Hi Biglass

I just wanted to let you know that I've been where you are now. I've struggled on in a similar way for the past seven years, ever since my daughter was born. My health has suffered, I've put on weight as my comfort eating got out of hand and the stress I've suffered has shown itself in all manner of symptoms.

Trying to balance work commitments and care for a family is hard and you end up not pleasing anyone, least of all yourself. I woke up to myself a couple of months ago and reduced my work hours. The loss of earnings has been hard to get used to but I found that this website has given me some really good tips on how to live on a smaller budget and now I dont expect too much from myself and don't allow others to project their expectations on me either. We think we need the holidays abroad, the new cars, fashionable clothes and all the latest gadgets but we don't. All my daughter wants is a mum who's there for her and is not always stressed out. I've only got a few years left of her childhood and I'm not going to waste another second of it.

Hope you find your own way to happiness and harmony in your life.

:heart2:

janb5

Only this morning I confided in a colleague how exhausted I am and last week I bought some Berocca hoping it would pep me up. I sleep between 9 and 10 hours per night and still feel li

Whatis berocca please?

Mermaid

biglass wrote:

Hi,all,suppose I'm looking for some reassurance that I'm not just pathetic-but does anyone else just feel exhausted a lot of the time?!:o
QUOTE]

Yes, I think lots of people do, especially when they have little ones and work at the same time. You're doing brilliantly to cope as well as you are.

I have a friend who's a brilliant mum, she always takes time to get down to her childrens' level and has answered the door to me in face paint applied by her three year old more than once:eek: She's my role model, even though her house is generally a bombsite. Whenever I feel low, I like to go round to visit to remind myself of what's really important in life: the kids, not what the neighbours think of the state of your living room.

Are your kids old enough that they could help you at all, even if it's small things like washing up or tidying their rooms?

When cooking meals like curry or bolognaise, make extra and freeze or leave in fridge for another day so you have to do less cooking.

Talk to your doctor - there could be something physical that could be easily sorted out, such as anaemia.

Is there any chance that you could be depressed? This can lead to feelings of tiredness, poor sleep patterns, over/undereating and guilt over things that aren't being done.

Could you ask a friend/family member for some help to ease your problems at the moment? Even having the kids for an afternoon to let you catch up with yourself a bit could give you a boost.

My OH and I each take care of the kids for half a day at the weekends, giving the other a half day to do whatever we want in, whether it's going shopping, finishing off work or visiting a friend. I love this time, makes me feel like I did before sprogs arrived, it also makes OH realise what a sterling job I do of looking after the sprogs the rest of the time

Most of all don't be too hard on yourself - you're only human!

Mermaid

Littlemiss-lotsofdebt

Berocca is a combination of B vitamins, vitamin C and essential minerals which can help release energy and may help support concentration and alertness. I have been taking the soluble tablets that transform into a fizzy orange drink, quite nice, but be warned, it does turn your wee bright goldfish orange!!! :eek:

biglass

Thankyou again ,folks-I'm relieved others feel this way too at times!
Black Saturn-you made me chuckle-the last couple of weekends I have been amazed at amount of time spent cooking a meal for it to be all over in minutes and then gasped at the dreaded washing up it created !! And Queen B and Mermaid have certainly touched on some issues which have been /are close to my heart-I too have put on weight, @5 stone since DD2 was born,:eek: a lot of it a result of comfort eating and PND .It is such a relief to talk to others who have been there-I suppose I feel a bit of a failure sometimes as I considered myself to be a sorted person with my life and finances before I had the 2 littlies and now feel a fat moan most of the time:o But I feel I am definitely going to cut my hours when my contract due for renewal in Jan 07 like you Queen B and spend more time with DD2 before she starts school next year-decision made!!
Thankyou to you all xxx

givememoney

When you bring home that first little baby all sweet and beautiful surrounded by all the lovely gifts you don't really realise what is to come do you.

We have all been through what you are experiencing now to a greater or lesser degree. Child rearing isn't the joyous experience we had probably expected and it is very costly.

I can tell you it gets better. By the time they have left home if you have survived the teenage years intact and are still on speaking terms they will have turned into caring adults who are great company and really enhance your life.

You have the added bonus of a nice clean and tidy house, you have more time to enjoy yourself/selves and more money to do it with. The down side is of course you have aged quite a bit.

One thing I never did was work full time after my first child was born and although we were at times hard up, I never wanted to cross the line into full time work as I knew there was no turning back.

Try to get some time for yourself to take off the pressure. Hope it gets easier soon.

doddsy

Littlemiss-lotsofdebt wrote:

I work between 40-50 hours a week and also do run all aspects of the house and the only way I keep sane is by being organised. Some things I do that help are:

* Meal plan
* Work out my whole month's budget the week before I get paid
* Make packed lunches for me and OH the evening before
* Load the washing machine on a daily basis and switch it on overnight the
minute I have a full load


HTH xx

I also work 40 -45 hours a week (just done 4 saturdays in a row as well). I have 'severe anaemia' and now a bladder infection (can't take the ferrous sulphate with the antibiotics so stymied there!)

I know that your suggestions would make life ALOT easier for me but am feeling too K*******d to get ahead and do this.

hugs to all who feel the same!!
doddsy