S.T.O.P. the Mom Guilt

Does the mom guilt get to you too? ---  “I’m a terrible mom because ______.” When you catch yourself in the mom-guilt spiral try S.T.O.P.

“S” Stop – catch yourself before you lose your cool

“T” Take a step back – deeeeeeeep breath

“O” Observe what’s going on both inside you and around you – What guilt thoughts are hitting you? Can you feel it in your body?

“P” Proceed mindfully – ask yourself, are you actually neglecting your kids or is this just a case of unjustified mom guilt? If it’s the latter, maybe find a trusted mom friend or therapist to talk this through. Sometimes talking about guilt out loud is enough to control the emotion.

This is an adaptation of the STOP skill from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com Look up DBT to learn more great skills!