As a first-time mom coming back to the work force, the experience is both terrifying and exciting for me. Exciting to be going back to work and doing something I love and terrifying as I now have an entire other human to worry and think about while at work. It can be hard to go from being your child’s primary caregiver to taking a step back and letting someone else take care of your child’s wellbeing while you go back to work. The mom guilt is real. But what can one do to ease the mom guilt and feel comfortable with the decisions we made for our children, ourselves and our families?

The answer is quite simple. We must remember to take time for ourselves. To be able to recharge, rethink, and relax. As a mom, finding this time can be hard between children, significant others, family, friends, trying to take care of the home and of course, work. There are only so many hours in a day after all and I am not Super Woman. Self-care is very important because if you go down, you’re taking others with you. Taking an hour or two a week to just do something for yourself can greatly improve not only your mood but your health and mental wellbeing overall. We tend to start to feel stress, pressure, emotionally or mentally exhausted, or “over it” when it’s been awhile since we stopped and paid some attention to ourselves.

A few examples of self-care:

• Taking a walk or bath alone
• Journaling
• Spending time with your significant other without the kids
• Spending time with friends and other family members
• Exercising
• Read a book
• Listen to music

Mom needs time to herself no matter how much we love our children. Mom and those in her life need to remember that mom is still more than just Mom and we still need to have a life outside from our children through work, friends and hobbies.

Another great way to help cope with “mom guilt” and stress of going back to work could be therapy. Reality therapy focuses on what is happening currently to make someone feel depressed, anxious, or stressed. It can work great for parents having a hard time coping with going back to work. The ability to talk to someone in a safe space without judgement is something not every parent gets or has and therapy can be an excellent way to express one’s self safely. Even Superman had to take his cape off every once in a while before putting it back on and trying to be the best super hero possible.

Parenting can be difficult for anyone and even the most experienced parent needs to take time for themselves to recharge and refresh and be reminded that they are doing the best with what they have available to them. At the end of the day no matter how many parenting books, articles, and blogs you read, every child is going to have their own unique set of needs and those needs are what dictates how we parent them.

If you or someone you know is suffering from parental stress, lack of self-care, depression or anxiety, please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced mental health counselors.