Because we lose something of ourselves in the process.
Emotional Wellness for Burned-Out Moms and Primary Caregivers.
Prioritizing your own needs your when marriage, family, career and wellbeing are at stake.
Trying to “do it all” is having a real impact.
I get it … you are a kind, caring wife, mom or daughter who also happens to be a high achieving woman capable of doing many awesome things … BUT there is a point when you’re wellbeing begins to suffer and you feel trapped.
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You’re physically exhausted and having difficulty getting a good night sleep, focusing or getting sick more often. You experience somatic symptoms such as headaches, body tension or gastrointestinal issues.
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Beyond visible physical tasks, women frequently carry the invisible labor of running a home and managing family life - anticipating needs, scheduling logistics and emotional monitoring.
Decision Fatigue - Constantly triaging household logistics, alongside workplace deadlines can drain your cognitive bandwidth leading to brain fog, forgetfulness and reduced creativity.
Internalized Guilt - Many women experience guilt about work while at home and guilt about home while at work. Hence the term “role contamination.”
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When time and energy are finite, self-care is almost always the first item to go.
Loss of Identity - Constant focus on meeting the needs of employers, partners, children or aging parents can erode a woman’s sense of self outside of her functional roles.
Anxiety and Depression - The gab between societal expectations to “have it all seemlessly” and human capacity often leads to feelings of inadequacy, perfectionist anxiety symptoms of depression.
Resentment - Unbalanced distribution of labor in romantic partnerships frequently leads to chronic quiet resentment, which erodes relationship communication and intimacy.
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Contrary to the belief that “doing it all” leads to success, spreading yourself too thin creates the opposite effect.
“The Second Shift” - Returning home to a full shift of unpaid domestic labor leaves little time for professional networking, strategic planning or continuing education.
Workplace Penalty - Women who burn out may downshift their career ambitions, step into lower-paying flexible roles, or leave the labor force entirely.
As a caregiver to your aging parents people have no idea what it is truly like.
Bearing witness to your parents getting older and seeing them decline before your very eyes.
The realization that all this responsibility has fallen on your lap with no support from your siblings or others.
Being a particularly young caregiver to parents whose health is in early decline
Managing your parents’ care needs, while also managing the rest of your own life … and not wanting them to feel like they are a burden.
Trying to honor your parents’ wishes, but not sure how to make that happen … especially if they are in denial or confused.
Doctors not being forthcoming with you about what is happening and what to expect.
Trying to step in to help but being told you are not privileged to have Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or are not the Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA).
As a mom you never expected to feel this way.
A shift in your identity and what drives you has fundamentally changed and seems disorienting.
Tension and resentment towards your partner or support system even while tasks appear evenly split on paper.
The invisible pressure to excel in all your roles and experiencing every choice like a compromise.
Lonely when every conversation is dominated by logistics and updates and meaningful peer connection falls by the wayside.
You’re ready to put an end to the madness, but you have no idea how or what change could even look like.
I want you to know that you’re not “crazy for loosing your shit.” You’re not failing at life. You live in a society that has completely unrealistic expectations of you and you have made the mistake of judging yourself unfairly. This is not a personal failure of time management or lack of resilience.
Together we will help you shift to a momming/caregiving role that restores your sense of self and emotional wellbeing.
Here’s what we’ll do together.
It takes only one person offering support to make all the difference ... you are ready and I am here.
A journey back to emotional wellness begins with sharing your story, feeling heard, understood and less invisible. It begins with establishing emotional safety and learning how to sooth your overwhelmed nervous system.
For some, there may be a need to process grief and loss as you come to terms with everything going in your world and the sense that life may never be the same or the way it was before. If you’re a mom, you might need time to grieve your life prior to having a child or what you imagined life as a mom would be like. If you’re a caregiver, you may need to process the anticipatory loss of you mom or dad.
Depending on your specific needs some things we may work on are
Self-awareness
Loving kindness towards yourself
Emotional regulation
Mindful acceptance
Allowing for imperfection
Healthy boundaries
Building a support network
Establishing daily grounding habits.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
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At this time, I do not offer a Caregiver Support Group. Please check back as this may change in the future.
I am happy to assist you in finding a local support group.
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I provide consultation services to sons and daughters who are Primary Care Givers to their aging parents and struggling with knowing what to do and Caregiver Burnout - Click the link below to learn more.
I do not provide Geriatric Care Management, direct care or emergency services.
Get in touch
Change is possible.
Click this link to choose a day and time for a free, confidential consultation with me, Holly W. Smith.
I’ll ask a little bit about your story and what you’re looking for in a therapist. I’ll share how we can work together based on what your needs are. If you decide to schedule a session with me, we’ll set that up on the calendar right away!
It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." Lena Horne
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It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." Lena Horne —