Becoming a mother is meant to be one of the most joyous times in a woman’s life. It’s a time of happiness, excitement, and overwhelming love for your child. Despite this expectation to be elated, some mothers find that they’re struggling to find joy.
For some, feelings of sadness, emptiness, and loneliness can overtake them, even when they’re with their children. Sometimes, they can even begin to wonder why they feel so sad. This is to the stay-at-home mom who’s struggling with depression.
There’s So Much That People Don’t Talk About
Every mother is more than happy to talk about all their wonderful new experiences. They’ll tell you about how blessed they feel and how much fun they’re having with their kids. Depending on their children’s ages, they’ll even tell you about all the things they’re doing for the first time and all their funny antics.
However, there are so many more things going on that they don’t say. No one talk about talks about the loss of identity that comes along with staying home. No one talks about the loss of sense of self because you gave up your career to be a full-time mother.
Most of all, no one talks about the exhaustion, the irritability, or the days when you cry in the shower. Mothers everywhere are at breaking point, but they still feel like they need to hide that from the world.
I Know You Feel Guilty
There’s an overwhelming pressure on mothers to be perfect. Society makes you believe that you need to be a superhero, to be positive all the time, and to make no mistakes. That pressure can lead to so much guilt when, inevitably, things go wrong sometimes.
The truth is that no one is perfect. Some moms may seem like they have it all together, and it’s easy to feel envious of that. However, that’s just the front that they put up. There is not a single parent out there who does things perfectly and knows exactly what they’re doing.
You’re not the only one who messes up sometimes. You’re not the only one who feels depressed when they think that they should be feeling joy. I understand that you think you should be completely happy all the time, but it’s okay that you’re not.
You don’t need to feel guilty for struggling.
You’re Doing Everything That You Can
You and I both know that you’re doing absolutely everything in your power to make your kids happy. In any situation, you’d bend over backwards for them and jump through impossible hoops.
When you’re feeling down, remember why you’re doing all of this. You’re doing is because you love your children more than you love the air you breathe. It may be hard sometimes, and you may have some days that are worse than others, but you will get through it. Believe me when I say that you are powerful. You are strong enough to fight depression one step at a time.
To the stay-at-home mom who’s feeling depressed and hopeless, stay strong. You may not have it all together sometimes, but you are doing such an amazing job. Please remember that you’re allowed to cry and to break down sometimes. One day, this will all pass and you’ll realize just how strong you really are.
Share this with all the stay at home moms you know. You never know who could be struggling and could need this advice.
