As you prepare for motherhood, you think about things like what color to paint the nursery, which car seat is the safest, and what your birth plan should include. You carefully pick out cute tiny clothes, booties, and hats while you dream about sweet snuggles and that first baby smile.   You likely don’t think about the mental load of motherhood. You don’t consider how much your brain will have to expand, compartmentalize, and carry. Shortly after that sweet baby arrives, you feel the intensity and demands of your daily life balloon in ways you never imagined. This continues for years; decades, actually.  If you feel like you're carrying a heavy load all the time, you are. The mental load of motherhood is immense. Over time, you become numb to it. You don’t realize you're chronically tired, overwhelmed, anxious, and emotionally drained because it feels normal.  This is motherhood. That feeling of not recognizing yourself, forgetting who you were before kids, and not knowing who you'll be when the kids no longer need you? It's normal. The whiplash from rapidly switching roles from mom to professional, family project manager, and community caregiver that leaves your head spinning? Also normal. The constant trade-offs that cost you time, energy, and joy? Also normal. I’m not saying this to make you feel worse—only to point out that this is pretty much a universal experience of motherhood. You are not alone. What if acknowledging all this helped you see how much you are carrying, while also recognizing that change is necessary - and possible? In this episode, we explore four ways to navigate the mental load of motherhood, helping you find more mental ease, joy, and comfort in your daily life. Link mentioned: Attend my Influence & Ignite Retreat for Women Business Owners: shamelessmom.com/retreat We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices