Is It Just Me? When You Love Your Kids But Don’t Love Pretend Play
Here’s what no one tells you before you become a parent: playing can be really hard as an adult. Especially when your brain is juggling 300 open tabs like:
What’s for dinner?
Did I respond to that email?
Was that bump on her leg there yesterday?
Add in the mental load of motherhood, and it makes sense that pretend play feels like one more task to “perform.”
And let’s be real—most adult brains are wired for productivity, not pretending to be a baby dragon for 45 minutes.
If you have ADHD, anxiety, trauma, or CPTSD, play can feel especially taxing. Many moms in EMDR therapy report feeling overstimulated by the noise, unpredictability, or repetitiveness of certain play. It’s not laziness—it’s your nervous system trying to cope.
This is something I often explore in EMDR therapy for moms—how our own childhood experiences (or lack of play) impact how we show up now.
What If Something Happens? When Mom Anxiety Keeps You Up at Night (And What Can Help)
If you’re lying awake at night asking, What if something happens?
Let me gently ask: What if you’re safe right now?
What if your baby is okay?
What if your fear is a signal, not a sentence?
What if therapy could help you not just cope with the fear—but heal the root of it?
Because it can.
And you don’t have to stay stuck in survival mode to be a good mom.
You don’t have to carry it all in silence.
You don’t have to live in fear to prove how deeply you love your children.
Navigating Postpartum Emotions: When to Seek Help and How Therapy Can Help
After giving birth, your body, mind, and entire life shift dramatically. Forget about sleep—it's now more precious than gold. Coffee might become your new best friend, and your toddler might treat every household object like their newest favorite toy. It's no wonder new moms experience so many complex feelings:
Anxiety and Overwhelm: Ever feel like you're constantly behind, juggling tasks with one hand while calming a crying baby with the other? Yep, you're not alone.
Mood Swings: Laughing at something silly one moment and sobbing over spilled milk the next? That's motherhood in a nutshell.
Guilt and Self-Doubt: It's completely normal to question if you're doing enough—especially when Instagram moms seem to have it all together. Spoiler alert: they don't.
Isolation: Ironically, motherhood can feel lonely, even when you're surrounded by little humans all day.
Exhaustion and Burnout: Sleepless nights add up quickly. Feeling drained physically and emotionally is more common than you might think.
Balancing Technology in Parenting: Finding Harmony in a Digital World
Technology has woven itself into our daily lives in ways previous generations never had to navigate. It connects us, educates us, and entertains us—but it also adds a layer of stress and uncertainty, especially for parents. And in a world where we already carry so much mental and emotional weight, worrying about technology shouldn’t feel like another burden.
Surviving (and Maybe Even Enjoying) Spring Break Travel with Little Ones: Top Tips from a Mom Therapist
If you’re gearing up to travel with little ones, take a deep breath. You’ve got this. And by “this,” I mean a journey that will be messy, unpredictable, and at times, loud. But it will also be worth it. Here are some practical (and sanity-saving) tips to help you embrace the chaos, lower the stress, and maybe even enjoy the adventure.
If One More Person Tells Me to ‘Just Take a Bubble Bath’…
The truth is, for moms, self-care isn’t just about carving out an hour to soak in lavender-scented bliss. It’s about survival. It’s about figuring out how to get through the day without completely burning out. And sometimes, that means redefining what self-care actually looks like.
The Loneliness of Motherhood: Why It Happens and How to Find Connection
Motherhood is often portrayed as this beautiful, joy-filled experience (and don’t get me wrong, it is), but what people don’t always tell you is how lonely it can be. You can be surrounded by tiny humans all day and still feel completely isolated. You can love your kids more than anything and still miss the version of yourself that had uninterrupted thoughts and deep, meaningful conversations.
Finding Balance: How Moms Can Juggle Work and Family
“Balance” as a working mom can feel like a joke sometimes. One minute, you're in a Zoom meeting trying to sound like a professional adult, and the next, you're bribing your kid with snacks so they don’t interrupt (again). And let’s not even talk about the laundry pile that’s basically another member of the family at this point.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re being stretched so thin that you might snap, you are not the only one. The truth is, balance isn’t something that magically happens—it’s something we have to create. Otherwise, we wake up one day realizing we’re running on empty, snapping at the people we love most, and wondering when we last drank water that wasn’t just the backwash from our kid’s sippy cup.
It Ends With You: Breaking Generational Cycles
Generational cycles are patterns of behavior, beliefs, and emotional responses that get passed down—sometimes without us even realizing it. These can be big things, like how discipline is handled, or smaller things, like how your family responds to situations or emotions.
These patterns don’t just magically disappear when we become moms. Our brains default to what we know—especially in stressful moments. But the good news? You can change them.
EMDR Therapy for Moms: Breaking Free from Overwhelm and Anxiety
If you’ve ever found yourself lying awake at night, replaying every little thing you did that day, wondering if you messed up somehow, or battling intrusive thoughts that make you question your worth as a mom—you’re not alone. I promise.
And if you’re feeling stuck in cycles of stress, self-doubt, or past trauma that just won’t let go, I want you to know something: there is hope.
EMDR therapy might just be the missing piece you’ve been searching for.
Navigating Intrusive Thoughts as a Mom: You Are Not the Only One
If your brain is working overtime with all the worrying, you're not alone. We juggle so many things as moms: taking care of our families, working (in the home, outside the home, homeschooling, etc.), managing the house, squeezing in a moment for self-care (maybe), and wondering if we’ll ever get to the bottom of our to-do list. No wonder our brains sometimes decide to start running “what if” scenarios!
Intrusive thoughts thrive when we’re stressed or feeling overwhelmed. They latch onto our anxieties, telling us that we’re not doing enough or that we’re messing things up.
Surviving Motherhood: Real Talk from a Millennial Therapist
Navigating the ups and downs of motherhood in today’s fast-paced world can feel like a never-ending rollercoaster. If you’ve ever thought, “How am I supposed to do all this?”—you’re not alone.
As a millennial therapist and fellow human trying to keep it together, I want you to know: it's okay to feel overwhelmed. Motherhood is a wild ride, and there’s no one right way to do it. But with the right support and a few practical tips, you can find your balance and maybe even sneak in some precious ‘me time.’ Let’s talk about how.
Breaking the Cycle of Mom Guilt: Embracing Imperfection in Parenting
As a therapist for moms based in Ohio who specializes in EMDR therapy (I know, therapy can sound scary, but stick with me — it’s actually pretty transformative), I see this cycle of guilt all the time. The struggle to be the “perfect” mom can be overwhelming. But I’ve got some news for you: perfection doesn’t exist, and that’s actually a really good thing.
Today, I want to talk to you about how to break free from the cycle of mom guilt and embrace imperfection in your parenting. Trust me, you don’t have to do it all, and you don’t have to be perfect to be a great mom. So grab a cup of coffee (or wine, no judgment), and let’s dive into this!
When It All Feels Like Too Freakin’ Much: A Love Letter to Overwhelmed Moms
As a licensed therapist for moms, I’ve sat across from women who are juggling more than should be humanly possible. I’ve heard the guilt, the tears, and the exhaustion. I’ve also seen the incredible strength and love that keeps them moving forward, even when they feel like they’re running on fumes.
Let’s take a deep breath together and talk about what’s really going on and how you can find your way through the overwhelm.
From Chaos to Calm: Simple Ways to Manage Your Emotions
Let’s be real—motherhood can feel like trying to herd a bunch of wild cats. We all know the chaos, and if you've ever felt that mom rage creeping in, you're not alone. But don’t worry, there’s a way through it. Let’s talk about simple ways to manage stress and bring more calm into your day. From mindfulness to better communication with your kids, here are some easy parenting tips that’ll help you feel more peaceful and less like a stressed-out referee.
Moms Don’t Get Sick Days
Your baby, toddler, or child is sick and so are YOU! Now what? Who is going to take care of you? Mommies don’t get sick days. But you deserve to rest and take care of yourself. In fact, it’s critical you do.
