How to Deal with Mom Guilt

Last Updated on October 31, 2019

This is a guest post by an amazing Mom Blogger, Adrianne Reelie. Read more about her below and hear the excellent advice she provides on dealing with mom guilt. Thanks Adrianne!

Introduction

My name is Adrianne Reelie, and I am a blogger over at adriannereelie.com! We have a private Facebook community, Purpose Over Perfection where you can find LIVE videos, fun challenges, and all extra resources! Let’s dive in, friends!

(This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on them does not cost you anything extra and I might earn a small commission.)

Dealing with Mom Guilt

As a mom, it is so easy to become overwhelmed, anxious, isolated.

Regardless if you are a stay at home mom, or a working mom, we all struggle with the mom guilt and mom stress. We struggle with our self inflicted doubts, and societal standards that are unrealistic. 

We feel pressure to be perfect.

Pressure to bring in a full income, yet be present by staying home with our children.

The pressure to build our careers and identity, yet we are not allowed to take a break from our children.

We are watched under a microscope, and to my surprise, I found a solution:

Break the Societal Mindset

News flash: the baby blues is REAL. Breaks are deserved without judgment or guilt.

It is okay to follow our dreams, education, career, and goals without eye rolls.

We are allowed to be a stay at home mom, without expectations to do a million things.

We are allowed to do exactly what our heart and family desires. It is that simple.

By breaking the societal mindset, we are able to excel, create joy, and reduce stress.

Ways to overcome mom stress + guilt

My top 3 practical tips:

1. Truly taking care of yourself mentally, spiritually, and physically! I personally struggle when I am taking care of everyone except myself! Self care is one of the most selfless things you can do for your family!
2. Find your pain points, and change them. I declutter my home and make a couple extra hundred bucks every few months, I evaluate my friend circle, I create routines when I notice my life is hectic, I meal prep to reduce stress… Find different ways to reduce your stress and guilt, as well as increase the amount of time you have in a day!
3. Practice a growth and gratitude mindset. Every single morning, I listen to a podcast that helps me grow as a woman, and a mom, as well as write at least 5 things I am grateful for. My heart and soul truly feel recharged when I intentionally start my day out on the right foot!

Personal Development

My favourite podcasts for dealing with mom guilt:

• Mom Is In Control
• Coffee + Crumbs
• Jordan Lee Dooley
• My podcast: Purpose Over Perfection
• As For Me And My House
• Living Intentionally
• The Rise Podcast
• Risen Motherhood

Find more of my favourite podcasts here!

Book recommendations

My favourite books for dealing with mom guilt:

• Girl, Wash Your Face
• Gabrielle Bernstein has some wonderful books that dig into energy, managing limiting beliefs, and uncovering feelings (such as the reason behind your mom guilt)
• Brene Brown is another amazing resource! She is a shame and guilt expert! (She has a Netflix show out if you haven’t seen it already!)

Journal prompts to get clarity: 

1. If you could have a perfect, realistic day with the children 6am-9pm, what would it look like? What would having this perfect day make you feel like? 
2. What brings you to a calm, and collected place during the day? Do you: journal, do yoga, exercise, meditate, take a shower, or take a bath to bring yourself to a more collected mindset? 
3. What makes you stressed, anxious, and/ or overwhelmed during the day? How can you reduce the amount of stressors?  
4. What type of games and activities do you like to do? How can you incorporate that into your motherhood journey for quality time? 
5. What makes you feel like a good mom? 

I wanted to give you resources to thrive because I know how valuable implementing them can be! My life has completely changed because of my ability to take action, stay accountable, and evaluating my mentality (this includes mom guilt!).

Last but not least

Finally, if I could leave you with any last words it would be:

• Find a podcast you love, and listen to 1 episode per day.
• Remind yourself that you are human, and you are not meant to be perfect.
• You are an amazing mom, and you can overcome this!

Thank you for staying and chatting with me! 

Connect with me

You can find me on Instagram @adrianne.reelie; Facebook @AdrianneEReelie; and my for more resources, check out my blog adriannereelie.com where I chat everything motherhood, self care, and how to work from home as a mom!

Thanks Adrianne for these great tips!!!