Minimalism + The Mental Load
Minimalism + The Mental Load: An interview with Leslie Forde.
Interviews are always best in audio. Listen here!
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Leslie Forde works full-time in marketing + business development for an educational publisher. She is also a writer, active volunteer + self-care advocate. She’s the brain behind Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs, a website dedicated to helping busy moms find time for self-care.
In her free time, Leslie enjoys running + getting creative in the kitchen.
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Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs is a visual that prioritizes mom’s needs.
Just like Maslow’s Hierarchy, the foundational items at the bottom must be met before reaching the aspirational goals towards the top.
Moms routinely put self-care and self-interests at the bottom of their To-Do list because the majority of their time is spent managing children + household.
How does Leslie make time for self-care?
She:
– Makes daily exercise a priority + has 3 “back-up plans” to make sure it gets accomplished.
– Meditates.
– No longer watches television.
– Journals.
– Works on her passion projects at night after her children are asleep.
– Has stopped complicated beauty procedures in efforts of finding more time in her schedule to do what she loves.
Notable quotes from the episode:
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“There are shiny, bright beautiful parts of motherhood … that’s what we see on the surface of a lot of the conservation + media … then on the playground when you get into a conversation for more than a few minutes [you realize] we’re all exhausted and all stretched.”
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“Helping kids reach developmental milestones is priority one. … you don’t give yourself permission to get to the next level until you’ve satisfied what’s at the bottom of the pyramid.”
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“Moms inevitably put self-care and self-interest at the bottom of the list on a consistent basis.”
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“The stress is about all the artful planning and orchestration for ourselves, for our family members + that loop is playing in our heads all the time. There are limits … that constant mental clutter interferes with tranquility + clarity of thought.”
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“Overwhelmingly, most moms are feeling incredibly strained. Mental load stress is incredibly invasive … and it takes up a lot of space in our heads that edges out other thoughts.”
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“There’s a directional relationship [between the mental load and minimalism]. When we’re feeling completely overwhelmed + we’re aware of the effect that’s having on our health + happiness it’s natural to looks for ways to eliminate + simplify.”
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“Less to do, less to track + less to worry about means less to think about. Minimalism is a really powerful way to approaching life that will contribute to less mental clutter.”
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