Do Not Disturb · A podcast about motherhood
Anna Mathur:
Let your children see you rest
You get the children to bed, then replay everything you wish you had done better. Anna Mathur talks about guilt, rest and the standards mothers set themselves.
The Do Not Disturb edit
Three things to take with you.
Three ideas from the conversation, in our words.
Do
Rest visibly, so your children learn that adults need care too.
Not
Grade every day against one fixed picture of the perfect mother.
Disturb
The rule that rest must wait until every piece of work is done.
Why does a hard day feel like a personal failure?
Anna describes the guilt of promising herself she will do better tomorrow. She and Simona talk about perfectionism, the pressure to cope and how easily a mother’s needs disappear behind everyone else’s.
They also discuss what happens after you lose your patience: taking responsibility, apologising and letting children see that adults need rest and help too.
What comes up
- The difference between struggling and failing
- Perfectionism and asking for help
- Rest, apologies and repairing a difficult moment
Meet Anna
Anna Mathur is a psychotherapist and author who writes about mental health and motherhood.
The guest’s bookshelf
Read Anna’s work
Raising a Happier Mother
Anna explores making room for a mother’s wellbeing alongside the needs of her children.
Explore the book →Keep the conversation going
Zoe Blaskey ↗
On burnout, guilt and asking for support.
Becky Selbie ↗
For naming the invisible rules behind maternal guilt.
More from Simona: get Simona’s Cultural Edit on Mondays →