Take some time off. Even if you can only get an hour off, take it. But take it just for you. Sit down at the coffee shop with a tall drink, a muffin and your favorite magazine. Or go for a walk with a friend but don't talk about the kids or anything stressful. Or watch T.V. in the privacy of your room with a bowl of ice cream while your husband takes the kids out. If you can get away for longer, do it! Go for two hours or 5 hours or whatever you can take. If you can go away for two days, do it! You need a break. After your break you'll have more energy to carry on again, believe me.

I agree. Maybe you just need a good long nap! Mothering is hard and exhausting for all of us. I make sure that my husband looks after the kids once a week while I go out for a few hours with my friends. It allows me to cope the rest of the week. If you're not doing something to take care of yourself, you will burn out and the whole family will suffer.

You definitely need something - more time for yourself, more emotional support, more practical support, or something else. If you can sit down with a professional to explore the matter, you may be able to quickly pinpoint the main problem and find a solution for it. Sometimes, a good friend can help with the same. You need to think it through to get to the root of your stress. Of course, running a home and looking after children is an exhausting, often overwhelming task. But see if you can find the hardest part of it for YOU and then do something about that specific area. Is it the unruly children? Perhaps a parenting course would help. Is it the unending physical work? Perhaps a cleaning lady would help. Although you may need help on many fronts, just start with the most challenging aspect for now. It will give you more energy to deal with the others later on.   Sarah Chana