If you are struggling right now as a mom, read these encouraging tips and affirmations for mothers to help you find joy in motherhood.
Do you feel inadequate as a mother? Do you feel overwhelmed by the constant demands of being a mom? Do you struggle enjoying motherhood or feel as though you just aren’t cut out to be a mom? Whether you have one kid or twenty, all of these feelings are normal! In fact, 66% of mothers say that parenting is more difficult than they expected it to be, while only 7% say it is easier.
But just because being a mom is a hard job, perhaps the hardest job you will ever have, doesn’t mean being a mom isn’t a great job! I believe motherhood has the potential for more fulfillment than any other career. However, when we find ourselves feeling stuck in negative thinking and doubt ourselves as mothers, being a mom isn’t so fun. And that is why I have written these encouraging tips and affirmations for mothers. To encourage you as a mom to hold your head high and find joy in being a mom!
Encouraging Affirmations for Struggling Mothers
When you feel inadequate as a mother, sometimes all you need is some encouragement to keep you going. Here are six positive affirmations for overwhelmed moms.
1. You are enough.
God chose you to be the mother of your children, which means you are enough for your children. You are meant to be their mother. So when you have self-demeaning thoughts like, My children would be better off with another mother, just remember that you are their mother for a reason. You may not know what the reason is, but the perfect God knows it, and He does not regret His decision for one minute!
2. No mom is perfect.
Even that mom who seems like the perfect mom, the one who seems like she has it all together, has struggles of her own. Not everyone shows their struggles in public. Some people are even too ashamed to show their struggles to their own friends. But we live in an imperfect world, and we are all sinners, so it is basically guaranteed that the mom you think has it all together doesn’t. We are all just doing our best, and that is all God asks of us.
3. You are stronger than you think.
One of the many motherhood lessons I have learned since becoming a mom is that I am capable of more than I realize. Motherhood has stretched me both mentally and emotionally, as I am sure it has you. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, as the saying goes. Even though you may wonder how you are going to make it through to the other end, you will. Just take it one day at a time, or even one minute at a time. You can do this!
4. You don’t have to “do it all.”
You can’t be “super mom.” My grandmother-in-law told me that, and I believe it. Being a mom requires a lot from you. You can’t be a good mom and have a clean house all the time and cook fancy dinners every night and go to the gym everyday. You can’t do it all. There isn’t enough time in a day. Just make sure you are spending your limited time on what matters most, raising your children with love. With the time that you have leftover, you can choose one or two of those other priorities, but not all of them. You will burn yourself out trying.
5. You are going to mess up your children.
This is the most freeing point of all. No matter how you raise your children, no matter how much love you give them, you are going to mess them up. We are all learning as we go. None of us go into motherhood knowing how to be the perfect mother. Even if we did, we would still fall short because of our weaknesses.
However, even when we are doing a great job as a mom, our children can still misinterpret our words and actions or even choose a completely different path. Children have minds of their own and free will. There is so much out of our control. But just because one of your children takes a path different than the one you chose for them, doesn’t mean you are a bad parent. God the Father is the perfect parent, and not even all of His children behave as they ought.
6. Everything will be okay.
Being a mom is hard now, but like all struggles in life, this too shall pass. The outcome may not be exactly what you had in mind, but God makes greater good out of every evil. He knows how difficult it is to take care of a newborn while disciplining a toddler and guiding a rebellious teenager towards adulthood. All you can do is your best. Give the rest up to God and let Him handle it. Everything will be okay!
The Encouraging Truth about Motherhood
Motherhood is hard! Sure, there are times when you feel like Super Mom. But there are plenty more times when you feel like being a mom is an impossible job. During times like these, it can be difficult to keep your head above water with all of the demands of being a mom. You may even feel as though you are not cut out to be a mom.
But the encouraging truth is that God chose you for this job. He chose you to be the mother of your children. When you feel as though you just aren’t measuring up to your standards of what a good mom should be, God is there! He will offer you the grace you need to fulfill your God-given job as mother. Just do your best, and God will do the rest. He is the one in charge anyway!
The Power of Journaling
If you struggle with feelings of inadequacy, overwhelm, or any negative thoughts that get in the way of enjoying motherhood, journaling can be a powerful tool. Journaling helps me to think more clearly when the same negative thoughts keep circling around inside my head. But journaling can also help you to change your mindset, from thinking, “I can’t do this one more day,” to “I can do this!” There are two primary ways in which you can use journaling to improve your outlook on motherhood.
Write a list of affirmations for yourself.
The first way in which you can use journaling to see yourself in a more positive light is by writing down a list of affirmations to read to yourself daily. Start by writing down all of your current positive attributes. For example, I am a loving mom. I care about my children’s health. I am doing my best to lead my children to Christ.… Then, write down the positive attributes that you wish you had as if they were true: I am a patient mom. I read to my children every night. I always take a deep breath when I am angry with my kids.…
Every day, as part of your morning routine, read your list and do your best to believe everything on it. The mind is powerful. What we think affects how we act, and if we act as though something is true, it often becomes true. Overtime, those attributes that you wrote down because you wished they were true might just become true for you.
Use journaling to problem-solve.
The other way in which you can use journaling to help you as a mom is to problem-solve. Whenever you have an intrusive, negative thought, write down everything that comes to mind about that thought. How do you feel about it? What initiated it? Where do you think it originated? Is it true? Is it helpful or harmful to your goals?
For example, yesterday, I had a negative thought, I am weak and cannot do as much as other people. Well, I didn’t like this thought very much, and I wanted to do something about it. So, I asked myself some of the above questions and realized that the thought, while certainly unhelpful, was probably not even true. I began to combat the negative thought with some positive thoughts: I am strong; I moved away from my family to marry my husband, I birthed two babies without any medication, and I am doing a pretty good job of raising a baby and a toddler at the same time.
Journaling can be surprisingly helpful in turning your negative thoughts into positive ones. And for mothers, it can be a powerful tool in helping you find joy in motherhood.
Conclusion
Motherhood is probably the most difficult job in the world. It demands a lot of your time, your energy, your thoughts, and your emotions. Sometimes, it can have you doubting yourself as a mom and feeling overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy. But I truly believe motherhood can be joyful. And I hope I have encouraged you to take these affirmations for mothers and journaling tips to improve your outlook on motherhood. I want you to take courage and enjoy being a mom!
Try out the above journaling tips next time you are doubting yourself as a mom, and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
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Laura you are doubtless doing much better than you give yourself credit for.
Yes, a baby and a toddler are HARD.