Some mornings, I’m awake before the sun even thinks about rising.
Not because I’ve set my alarm. Not because one of the kids has climbed into my bed. But because of guilt.
It’s a quiet kind of guilt—the one that whispers before the day even begins.
Did I spend enough time with them yesterday?
Was I too snappy when they spilled their juice for the third time?
Should I have skipped that training session and just cuddled on the couch instead?
This is the invisible weight a lot of us carry as mums.
We hold space for our kids, our partners, our households, our jobs—and somewhere in between, we try to hold space for ourselves. But that’s the part we often let slip. And when we do carve out a moment for ourselves, that’s when guilt taps us on the shoulder.
I’ll give you a real example:
Last week, I was in the middle of training—a session I had carved out after a day full of work and school runs. My youngest came into the garage, asking if I could help him find something. I was in the zone, just a few sets away from finishing. I told him to wait. He sighed, looked disappointed, and walked away. I felt it instantly—the guilt.
Should I have stopped? Am I selfish?
And just like that, the joy of moving my body—the thing that fills my cup—was clouded by the thought that maybe I wasn’t doing enough as a mum.
But here’s the thing I’m slowly learning (and honestly, re-learning every day):
We are allowed to have our own needs. We are allowed to have boundaries.
We are allowed to take 30 minutes to lift weights, to drink our coffee while it’s hot, to sit in silence before the chaos begins.
Being a good mum doesn’t mean being everything to everyone, all the time.
It means showing up with love, not perfection. It means repairing when we get it wrong—and we will get it wrong. It means letting our kids see us as whole humans, not just caretakers.
I’m not here to give you a 5-step guide to releasing mum guilt. I still feel it.
But I am here to say: I see you. I feel it too.
And we’re allowed to put the guilt down sometimes.
To say: I’m doing my best. And that’s enough today.
So here’s what I’m trying now:
When guilt wakes me up, I gently ask it:
“Are you helping me, or are you just being loud?”
And then I choose to move forward with grace, instead of shame.
To all the mums running on caffeine, chaos, and concern—
You’re doing better than you think.
You’re not alone.
And you’re allowed to let some of it go.
What’s one thing you’re letting go of this week?
Let me know in the comments, or send me a message—I’d love to hear from you.