The truth about mother's guilt: 'Being a mum is a non-stop guilt trip'

I was gifted with an incredibly adorable moment between myself and my toddler recently. 

While battling a cold he woke in the middle of the night crying out and I found myself in his room cuddling him back to sleep while singing his favourite song 'You Are My Sunshine'. 

It was like a scene out of a movie. He had his arms around me and I was squeezing him tight with all my love. 

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Though in the midst of that precious moment I was very rudely interrupted. Mum guilt snuck its way into the room and took over my emotions. 

'You don't cuddle him enough?', 'How come you never rock him to sleep?', 'I can't believe you leave him to cry in his cot some nights!' - the judgment flooded my thoughts and before I knew it I was left feeling like a terrible mum. 

Mum guilt tends to do that. It strikes in your most confident of moments, in the sweetest of times between you and your kids and makes you feel like you are failing at it all. 

Just when I think that I have a handle on motherhood and am doing what's best for my boy, it somehow always makes me second guess myself. 

And once it strikes, I find it incredibly difficult to pull myself out of those negative thoughts and turn myself around. 

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But I know that's no way to parent. While I can't control when mum guilt decides to poke her head into my life, surely there is a way I can control the impact she has on my mental health and the way I view myself as a mum? 

This week on Come To Therapy With Me Dr Charise helps me arm myself for the frequent battle I have with mum guilt and shares with me the secret to not letting her get the best of me.

Join Nikolina as she opens up her heart and her mind. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your podcasts.