This Is How You Get A Buzz (From Life) When You’re A Mom

I don’t get regular “buzzes” anymore. Nope. Catching a daily buzz for me hasn’t happened since college. Since becoming a parent back in 2011, my free time has slightly dwindled and with each additional child, my “me” time has been majorly scaled back.

Long gone are college parties, day drinking, and power hours. (OMG, weren’t power hours so fun?!!)But, what I have come to realize after six years of motherhood is that I don’t have to give up my desire to “catch a buzz,” I just need to go about it in a different way.

You see, I wrote an article titled The Real Reason Parents Are So Stressed, in which I discussed how parents rely way too much on alcohol and coffee to survive our lives. I said it then and I will say it again — our lives should not be survived, they should be lived.

Here’s how I now catch a buzz each day:

I get a buzz from my children. Yep — from their involuntary smiles and unprompted guttural laughs. Their tight hugs and spontaneous grasps for my hand.

I get a buzz from my morning coffee. Uh huh — coffee gives me that “I can do anything!” attitude and when drank, only in moderation, it is the perfect start to my day, giving me the motivation I need to operate in “beast mode”.

I get a buzz from writing. I enjoy writing so much, it’s therapeutic for me. I actually get a “high” and a feeling of extreme excitement when I put my heart onto paper or a keyboard.

I get a buzz from adult conversation. This is a must for me. I spend the majority of my days with the three little people I created and because of that adult conversation is few and far between. So, when it happens, it feels like the first sip of a cold beer on a hot day.

I get a buzz from food. It’s slightly embarrassing to admit that, but I do. Nothing like a 20 oz. ribeye or a charcuterie platter to get me salivating. So, you know what I say — let yourself eat something that makes you happy each day. When it comes to food, self-control is important of course, but then again, so is your sanity.

I get a buzz from other people’s energy. Does being around certain people or getting a text from a certain person give you comfort or make you smile? If so, use that energy; seek it out, hold on to it and harness it. And if possible, share it — let your new positive attitude wear off on others.

I get a buzz from my spouse. My husband’s spontaneous and jovial nature is a stark contrast to my own, yet it is capable of helping to keep me even-keel(ish). (Which is tough for an anxiety-ridden momma.)

I get a buzz from mindless television. At the end of the day, some guilty pleasure TV helps me to decompress, and decompression is a necessity so that I can wake up the next day and mom all over again.

Listen, we sure know that parents shouldn’t be drinking ALL. OF. THE. TIME. But, you can and should still catch a buzz. Figure out what that buzz is for you and do it — each and every day.

Now who wants to go grab a beer?