185. Emotional needs in motherhood (what they are and how to meet them)

How are we told we SHOULD feel in motherhood, versus how do we truly feel in motherhood? We spend a lot of time and energy living in default emotions, while hustling to shift away from uncomfortable emotions and into more comfortable emotions. I want to open up your options for empowering emotions that you can feel in motherhood, emotions that generate capacity instead of exhaustion. And I want to have the conversation about HOW we are meeting our emotional needs in effective or ineffective ways.  Covered in this episode: Our emotional experience matters What memories are you making in motherhood (and how it can change your motherhood experience) day after day of feeling overwhelmed in our bodies Is Self-Care the Answer When Motherhood Sucks? Our emotions need to be addressed when we address how we feel and what we do with those feelings, we gain power and opportunities Do we have basic emotional needs?  What we are TOLD we will feel in motherhood (what we go into motherhood expecting to feel) versus what we actually feel in motherhood  114. Being a Mom, on Purpose (it’s not about happy, obedient kids) Should ‘Happy Kids’ Be Our Parenting Goal? 156. 3 things to know about feeling negative emotions What most moms say they want to feel in motherhood 66. Are you stuck in the hustle for happiness? Finding contentment in momlife 69. Will a simpler home bring me peace? What getting dressed each day taught me about meeting my emotional needs The Baby That Always Cried (Our Story With Esophagitis) Mothering Through Anxiety God’s Grace Through Difficult Parenting the moms30for30 posts  When I Instagrammed My Own Life, and Not My Kids Chasing happiness and peace vs other emotions we could be pursuing in our day Emotional needs of motherhood Questions to ask yourself: How are you meeting that emotional need? In an effective way or an ineffective way? Where are you in terms of meeting this need (shut off the need and avoid needing it, or overcompensate and need a lot of it?) Some emotional needs you might not be aware you have: Connection  Productivity When I realized I wasn’t a lazy mom, I was just overwhelmed 129. Does your ‘to-do list’ overwhelm you? Expectation overwhelm and how to handle it. Productivity Needs A Purpose 149. How to find what matters to you (uncovering your personal values) 170. Planning the Day (reactive vs proactive, tools and approaches I use) Appreciation/Validation Making motherhood harder than it needs to be (Mom Martyr) 62. My husband put the groceries away wrong, he doesn’t care about me (love languages and expectations in marriage) Confidence Being confident in the mom you are 115. A Controlling mom, or a capable mom? Enjoyment/joy do you withhold joy from yourself? 138. Is momlife UNFUN? How to be a more FUN MOM, stop withholding fun from yourself When Did I Stop Enjoying My Kids? (and my journey back to enjoying them) Finding Joy In Your Every Day (#theperfectmomentsproject) Accomplishment Nurturing Contentment, happiness, joy Pride Security Relaxed Belonging Self-expression, creativity Autonomy  Adventurous Motivated, energized Things to consider  all our actions are us trying to meet our needs the best we know how, and we are all trying to feel more of what we WANT to feel and less of what we DON'T want to feel  Our thoughts, feelings and actions are all interrelated Our use of our emotional energy matters Towards and Away Motivation  Staying connected over the summer Catch up on the Spotify Playlists The Facebook group, reopened if you were wanting to join it Follow along Instagram Join the Simple Saturdays email, the virtual coffee date with your Nerdy Girlfriend     Full transcript (unedited) 0:00