The most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home.
-Harold B. Lee
Do you ever wonder what all your mom life work would be worth in dollars? According to a 2019 study by salary.com, your annual income would be approximately $178,201. This amount is probably not all that surprising to you, right? So, when you’re doing the following items (unpaid), try to remember that what you do as a mom is worth so very much:
- Teaching new skills to your kids
- Cleaning and taking care of the house
- Cooking and school lunch prep
- Taking care of the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of your kids
- Taking care of the family pets
- Planning trips
- Scheduling appointments
- All things school related
- Driving the kids everywhere
- Organizing fun activities
What would you add to this list that I forgot?
All of the above activities can also take a toll on your mental wellbeing as you’re probably carrying a lot in your “mommy brain.” If you are struggling right now, have you considered talking to an online therapist in your state? You’ve probably gotten used to online everything after this last year, am I right? Tele-health breaks down a lot of barriers to treatment for moms, especially new moms. Here are some online counseling positives for moms:
- It’s safe, secure and easy to access.
- It’s comfortable- you’re in your own personal space for your sessions. Your pets can be in the room with you for comfort as well. I like to refer to them as your “therapy pets.”
- It saves you time- you no longer have to drive anywhere or take time off of work for your therapy sessions.
- It saves you money- you no longer have to find childcare for your kids, as they can be home with you during your sessions.
- It’s confidential- you don’t have to worry about anyone seeing you enter or leave a local therapy office.
- It’s researched based- research has shown that online counseling is just as effective as in office sessions!
- It’s easier for you- you may not currently have a lot of energy to get yourself to a therapy office given your anxiety, depression or grief symptoms (especially if you’re a pregnant or postpartum mom). With online counseling, you can still get help and support, even on the most difficult days.
- It means you can find a therapist you truly connect with, not just someone in your local areas, as online counseling opens up the entire state of licensed clinicians to you.
- All you need is a private space to meet in and a device for your sessions such as a computer, tablet or cell phone.
- No added worries about getting sick or making someone else sick as you’re able to meet from home
- Your therapist may be able to meet during your child’s naptime if you have young kids.
- You don’t need to worry about your relationship with your therapist, as empathy, warmth and connection all come through on the screen as well!
So, what’s holding your back from finding an online therapist in your state where you can process and work through some of your mom life stressors? This may also be a good time to process all the heightened emotions that showed up last year because of COVID-19 including worry, sadness and grief.
Here’s some fun stuff around expecting the unexpected during online counseling:
- Technology fails happen such as no video or fuzzy and frozen screens (usually with funny facial expressions)
- Interruptions from partners occur, even when boundaries have been set.
- Kids may come in to ask questions. I love meeting them and hearing their sweet little voices!
- Babies crying, waking up from naptime early, grabbing at the screen, etc.
- Toddlers wanting your attention
- Pets acting silly, making noise, needing to go outside, barking, etc. (My dog has been know to come into my office to say “hi” to the barking dog on screen!)
- Phones ringing
- Doorbell interruptions
- Onscreen alerts
- Alarms going off- cell phones, smoke detector, house alarm, neighborhood emergency tests, etc.
- Weather that causes issues like a power outages
- Internet issues
- House issues such as a busted pipe (this one happened to me during a session!).
I like to say that these things add humanity and imperfection back into the therapy space, for therapists and clients alike. They are also a chance to show compassion and empathy for the little interrupts that may happen when using technology. Hopefully we’re all much more used to this now, after more than a year of dealing with COVID-19.
