Overcoming Mom Guilt

Even though you try your best to fulfill your role as a mom, there are times when you feel you haven’t done enough to meet your child’s needs. When this guilt becomes overwhelming, it takes your confidence away and brings in anxiety. Have you experienced mom guilt often? When you find social media being flooded with #momgoals, and you have a busy, overly packed work schedule, as well as hundreds of household chores, stress, and guilt make their way into your life, making you feel inadequate.

Have you ever tried identifying the source of your guilt rather than beating yourself up with self-doubt and fear? It could be the demands from society, scrolling through social media posts of supermoms, having a bad day, unwanted opinions from people about your parenting choices, or other reasons that make you feel that you’re not doing enough. Too much mom guilt keeps you from enjoying the little joys of life and keeps your mind occupied with stress, leaving you on the edge.

Here are some tips that could help you not to give in to guilt and live a positive life:

Self-Care

Before you care for others, you need to be in a state of good health in body and mind. Do you make time for self-care? You don’t need to take hours, but only a few minutes during your day, to take care of your wellbeing, which in turn will help you attend better to the needs of others. Starting now, take a few minutes to unwind, relax, start a hobby, and nurture your soul. A self-care routine will make you energized and refreshed, helping you think clearly and decide better, without giving in to negativity.

Do not compare to other moms

People differ in their perceptions of life, and there are no perfect people. We are all unique as well as imperfect. Looking at the social media posts of other moms shouldn’t lead you to doubt your parenting choices. What people post on social media is what they choose to show the world, but you do not know the other side of their story such as their struggles, challenges, and shortcomings. Becoming a better version of yourself needs working on yourself day by day in small steps and knowing your limits. Comparing yourself to others adds to your guilt and doesn’t help you achieve better in life.

Connect with supportive people

Engaging with supportive and empathetic people promotes your well-being and helps you know your strengths and limitations without doubting your self-worth. Positive social interactions help you focus on the positive side of life, help you find meaning in life, boost your confidence, and motivate you to take on new challenges with confidence. On the other hand, spending your time, listening to negativity and criticism always, makes you less productive, disturbs your emotional health, and negatively affects your well-being.

Practice positive parenting

Being mindful of your words and actions, managing your emotions, and not reacting out of a burst of negative feelings helps you avoid guilt. Know your purpose, accept your flaws, and look for positive ways to deal with challenges. Parenting is a journey and every experience should help you and your child learn new lessons that will make you both wiser and stronger. Do not let people’s opinions, negative emotions, stress, or unrealistic expectations influence your parenting style.

Healthy choices

When life gets tough at times, it could seem difficult to make healthy choices with food or lifestyle. Remember in such moments that, unless you stay healthy, you will not be able to take care of your kids’ health. There are numerous easy ways to incorporate healthy habits into your life as well as that of your family. So do not give up your health goals, rather look for simple and easy ideas to stick to them.

Have you been through times when mom guilt influenced your parenting choice? Do share your answers in the comments.