10 Quick & Practical Ways to Destress as a Homeschool Mom

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement. Thanks for visiting!

Could you use some tips and tricks to destress as a homeschool mom?

If you're a homeschooler, I'd wager that you surely do 😉

Add these ideas to your homeschool mom toolbox - or use them as inspiration to fill your cup so you can get on with making life and learning fun!

Do You Feel the Need to Destress?

Contrary to all those homeschoolers you follow on Instagram and other social media platforms, the homeschool life sometimes looks a little more like the “thug life” than the picture-perfect one.

I don’t know about you all, but my kids sometimes fight instead of frolicking through nature.

And my living room doesn’t feel farmhouse chic as much as barnhouse chicken. So it’s no wonder homeschooling can be a bit stressful sometimes.

There’s so much more to homeschooling then teaching the kids (as if that isn’t a big enough responsibility.)

Cooking, cleaning, refereeing...you get the idea. That's a lot of pressure.

Pressure can build up quietly, but when something cracks it can literally be explosive. When Mount St. Helens erupted, it obliterated everything in an eight-mile path.

What’s a mom to do if she doesn’t want to blow her top like a momcano?

Sure, it would be great to take a week-long retreat, but for most of us, that’s just not realistic.

Instead, we have to learn to destress in quick and easy ways. We have to learn to release some of that steam like the Instant Pot with a quick-release valve.

10 Quick Ways to Destress as a Homeschooling Mom

1. Create a Mom Corner

As children, we might have considered the order to go stand in the corner to be a punishment. This suggestion is completely different.

Find a place in the house that is just for YOU.

A comfy chair, maybe a candle, a basket full of things you love, like books, journals, or some yarn waiting to be knit.

It’s okay to throw an educational video on for the kids and give yourself a time-out in your corner.

2. Find a Hobby You Enjoy to Help You Destress

Finding a hobby you can enjoy, for even 15 minutes at a time, is better than not doing one at all! There are so many choices:

Knitting
Crochet
Gardening
Musical instrument
Crafting
Sewing
Needlework
Coloring
Drawing
Painting
Planners
Photography

If you're interested in one of these and don’t know how to get started, YouTube will become your best friend. Which leads us to our next stress buster...

3. Learn Something New

With YouTube, you can learn just about anything today. But if you don’t want to spend a lot of time searching, online platforms offer courses that have been put together for you.

What is something you’ve always wanted to learn about?

A hobby, something you are simply interested in, a skill you’d like to develop for work? You’ll find courses teaching everything from business to fitness to technology.

Look for courses where you can go at your own pace. That way you don’t have to set aside large amounts of time to work through them.

A few platforms you may want to check out are:

Udemy
LinkedIn Learning
Skillshare (If you click HERE, you'll get 2 free months of Premium Skillshare!)
Coursera
Various courses by individuals

4. Schedule Teacher Work Days So You Can Destress

So a teacher workday may not sound like something quick to do, but actually scheduling it won’t take long at all.

Do you have a lesson planner or calendar? Go mark out a day for you right now.

Not using a planner? Write the day on a sticky note and put it on the refrigerator so all will see.

Taking some time to reorganize and catch up on things like planning and grading will really help you feel lighter.

Consider trading a day of babysitting with another mom so you can be as productive as possible on your teacher word day.

If that’s not possible make sure you have a plan for things your kids can do that don’t require your attention. A few ideas to keep your kids busy include:

Watching an educational video or documentary (Curiosity Stream is our favorite!)
Give them a fun fitness game to play
Prep snacks and meals prior to your teacher day so you don't have to waste a lot of time in the kitchen
Set up work stations with fun and frugal activities, like learning fun activity packs, educational cootie catchers, fact cards, and grid art activities

5. Read While Your Kids are Reading

For some moms, it’s tempting to try to get a load of laundry in the wash or pick up a room when the kids are quietly reading.

Give yourself permission to simply stop. Take the time to read something you want to read.

There are a few benefits, too. You’ll get the chance to refresh and your kids will see that you value reading as an adult—it’s not just something you assign for them to do. Modeling is a powerful teaching tool!

6. Destress with a Gratitude Journal

There’s a lot of scientific evidence that gratitude is incredibly beneficial!

Each day, write down three to five things you're thankful for, even if it's as simple as, “I was able to get out of bed this morning.”

Gratitude focuses our minds on what we have instead of what we don’t have. It reminds us of the good things in life.

7. Institute Quiet Time

No matter what ages your kids are, they can spend an hour in their room doing something quiet!

Even young children who have given up naps can listen to audio stories, look at books, and play quietly.

Quiet time will give you an opportunity to breathe. And it will give your kids the opportunity to learn to entertain themselves, have some downtime, and do something they enjoy.

If your kids can’t handle an hour at this point, start with a smaller time, but work up to it.

Oh, and give them their own timer so they’ll know not to yell, “Am I done yet???”

8. Destress with a Dance Party

Things feeling stressful? Is there someone (you or your kids) about to burst into tears because of a difficult, frustrating lesson?

Sounds like it’s time to turn up the music and have a spontaneous dance party in the middle of the room.

Older kids? I’m sure they won’t mind recording you dancing with them so they can show all their friends on TikTok 🤣

9. Watch Something Funny

Maybe it’s your favorite comedian or a show you’ve seen what feels like a million times (like The Office?).

A little laughter goes a long way when it comes to feeling less stressed.

10. Listen to a Podcast

There are so many great podcasts to choose from today.

Whether it’s one just for fun or a source of encouragement, a podcast can make you laugh, teach you something, entertain, or give you the boost you need to keep going.

Here are some of our favorite homeschool podcasts:

Destress as a Homeschool Mom

When you feel that pressure building, take some time to destress. Homeschooling will be hard at times, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find joy, even in the tough times.

Implement some of these quick ideas regularly into your routine and both you and your kids will enjoy homeschooling more. As the old saying goes, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”

What's your favorite way to destress as a homeschool mom? Please share your ideas in the comments area below 🙂