Part of being a good therapist is being a good listener and providing a safe place for moms to open up and tell me their truth. Moms tell me many hard and challenging stories and though the stories are different there is a common thread. It's not obvious to mom at first but when I expose this hidden thread, there is a sense of being seen and relief. And what is the thread?

ANGUISH

If you are a mom and anguish over your kids, I want you to know you are not alone. Many moms silently suffer with big feelings of anguish. You see something in your teen that you feel shame about or are worried about. You hide this from others because you don’t want to be judged and it would feel too awful to tell anyone else. So you isolate in your anguish.

Here's what’s normal moms---- you can love your teen and the teenage years, you can be proud of their accomplishments and think they are amazing AND your teens will struggle, make some choices that scare you, make you sad, and pushes against your values. All these things cause us anguish.

In this episode I define anguish and how moms experience it. Anguish can be brutal on moms.

Moms can't completely escape anguish but your can dial down the severity. I give you five practical ways you can contain the anguish and not let it dominate your life.

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