全職媽媽是一份工作,科學也證明了這一點
If you are a full-time stay-at-home Mom or are a mother who works part-time and feel like you are about to crash and burn, know that you are not alone. You have a stressful job and there's science to prove it! Mothers who work full-time report better mental and physical health than stay-at-home moms or women who work part-time.
如果你是位全職媽媽，或者是有份兼職但覺得自己快要崩潰的母親，那你可不是一個人在戰鬥。你的工作壓力很大，科學也證明了這一點！報道稱，相比全職媽媽或有份兼職工作的媽媽，全職工作的母親身心更爲健康。A study from researchers at Penn State University and University of Akron found that women who go back to work after having children have more energy and mobility and less depression at the age of 40 than mothers who stay at home. But you could have told them that, couldn't you? There is good news, however. You can save your sanity and health by balancing your life so that you can enjoy it and be there for the ones you love.
賓夕法尼亞州立大學和阿克倫大學的研究人員開展的一項研究發現：與全職媽媽相比，生了孩子之後又重返工作崗位的母親在40歲的時候更有精力、行動力，而且也沒有那麼抑鬱。但是你本該告訴他們這一點的，是嗎？但也有好消息。你可以通過平衡自己的生活來保持理智、保持健康，這樣你就能享受這種生活狀態，還能陪在你愛的人身邊。
Here's how:
怎麼做？
1. Set up routines. Routines sound boring and laborious, but in reality, routines help you have more free time to do other things that are fun and relaxing (just what every mom needs). Make a list of routines that have to be done daily and weekly. Focus on the parts that cause you the most stress and list ways to get these things done more efficiently than you have been.
1. 制定日常活動。日常活動聽起來很無聊、也很費力，但事實上，日常活動可以讓你有更多的自由時間，去做其它有趣、令人放鬆的事情（而這正是每位母親都需要的）。列出一張日常活動清單，列上每天每週都必須做的事情。重點寫最讓你有壓力的事情，列出比以往做法更有效的方法。For example, if getting the kids off to school is one of your most stressful times of the day, list things that you can do the night before to ease your morning workload. Some ideas that may help are to pack lunches as you clean up the supper dishes, and lay out your outfit for the next day.
比如，如果讓孩子去上學是你一天中壓力最大的時候，那就列出你前一天晚上能做的事情來緩解早晨的壓力。這些想法或能有所幫助：晚上洗碗的時候順帶把他們的午飯打包好、拿出第二天要穿的衣服。Is supper your most hectic time? Set a time earlier in the day to make parts of the meal ahead of time. A salad (with dressing on the side) or desert can be made while drinking your morning coffee. Invest in a cookbook that has uncomplicated, fast recipes.
做晚餐是你最忙碌的時刻？白天早些準備，先做好一部分的菜餚。早上喝咖啡的時候就可以準備沙拉（邊上放點醬）或甜品了。或者買本不復雜的烹飪書、快速食譜。2. Sell the idea of teamwork to your children. Be enthusiastic and positive when you approach your children with a list of ideas about how they can help around the house.
2. 給你的孩子灌輸團隊理念。當你想讓孩子幫你做家務的時候，一定要熱情、態度積極。
