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HELP! I'M A GUILT-RIDDEN MUM!

Lately, I've been feeling down, overwhelmed by the task of juggling a full-time job, part-time study, freelance work, household chores, mummy duties, spousal spats and financial woes.
I feel like I'm up to my neck in things and I continue to be visited by a deep sense of guilt,
I don't understand why. I know mums everywhere are feeling overwhelmed' and I realize that other mums may have it worse than I do. So, by admitting my close encounter with an anxiety attack, am I to be considered an inferior mother? Mothers are supposed to be amazing multi-taskers after all.

In a moment of clarity, the answer came to me. I'm driving myself nuts because I don't think I'm doing enough. I constantly blame myself because I don't think I'm doing things well. I am too hard on myself. I am my own biggest critic. I wondered how many other mothers have felt this way. My educated guess would be too many, too often. My question is; why do we feel so guilty? Has the bar been set too high for modern mothers? Are we to blame for internalizing the issue? Or are external factors contributing to our guilt-ridden condition?

Obviously, it is in the nature of mothers to want to nurture. We are instinctively programmed to want to make things better. When there's a crisis, we step in to handle it, like responsible adults. However, in due time, when responsibilities mount, we find that we are accomplishing less and less. Work and study assignments drag on. Our minds go blank when we look at a computer screen. We can't cook meals because planning them and buying the essential ingredients feels like such a chore. We misplace bills and forget what we're supposed to do that day. When we see the mess that the husband and kids have made, we get short of breath.

All the while, our temper grows shorter and shorter. Soon, we snap at our husbands, we snap at our kids and we respond impatiently to our colleagues or neighbors. On top of it all, we get angry with ourselves for not being in control. We fear, if we don't take care of business, who will? The problem is, most times, mothers give, give and give, but they don't receive. Drawing heavily on our inner resources, we eventually become emotionally deplete and find ourselves running on empty. Much has always been expected of mums and self-sacrifice is on the top of that list. It is sad but true, mothers often put themselves at the very bottom of their own to-do lists.

It doesn't help that we're constantly being judged by others

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