Maternal health is the cornerstone of child development, and the perinatal period represents a critical window of opportunity to support both mother (parent) and child. By prioritizing perinatal well-being and relational health, we can help prevent mental health challenges in children and youth, laying the groundwork for a lifetime of emotional stability, resilience, and well-being. 

Let’s break down the harms of social media and motherhood:

1. Constant Comparison: Social media showcases selected versions of motherhood, often promoting perfectionism. Mothers often compare themselves to these unrealistic standards, leading to feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and shame.

2. Emotional Burnout: The pressure to meet impossible standards in parenting, career, and personal life often results in emotional exhaustion, anxiety, and burnout.

3. Distorted Reality: Highlight reels on social platforms present an idealized version of parenting that rarely reflects the real struggles and messiness of daily life.

4. Mental Health Strain: Constant exposure to “perfect” lives contributes to anxiety, depression, and self-doubt, as mothers struggle to reconcile their real-life challenges with the images they see online.

5. Isolation: Despite being connected through social media, many women feel isolated because they believe their struggles are unique, further deepening feelings of inadequacy.

Navigating Back-to-School Worries: A Polyvagal Approach to Brain-Body Parenting and Peaceful Parenting

Coping Mechanisms for Perinatal Loss: Addressing the Unseen Suffering

You are forced to decide between being present with your children, taking care of your home, taking care of yourself, fulfilling the needs of your marriage, and being a good friend, child, or aunt. Saying "yes" should be a conscious decision, not driven by guilt, people-pleasing, or external recognition. It’s unrealistic to expect that you won’t feel stress or that it will always feel good. But if we can find a way to process and address the daily demands with a sense of well-being and helpful stress integration, we may experience more joy in our day and less guilt, shame, and despair. Choose your hard.

As a mother, attending your child's sports events can be an exhilarating experience filled with excitement and pride. However, it can also be a source of anxiety and stress, particularly when the stakes are high, or your child is facing challenges on the field. One powerful technique that can help manage this stress is bilateral stimulation, a method commonly used in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. This technique can be a valuable tool for calming the autonomic nervous system, helping you stay grounded and composed during those intense moments at sporting events.

If moms are able to plan ahead, their planning may include support for managing sleep disruptions, mood changes, and quality of life issues that arise due to nighttime infant care. It is also essential to consider both parents when evaluating parenting stress in families affected by ADHD, as co-parenting stress can significantly impact family dynamics.

Dealing with postpartum depression can be isolating, frequently accompanied by stigma and shame. Having a supportive friend who can normalize these feelings and stay with you during uncomfortable moments can be incredibly valuable. When someone we care about is hurting, our first response is often to stop the pain, but this can leave individuals feeling burdened by our emotions, pressured to feel better, or invalidated.