Being a stay at home mom (SAHM) is already a job in itself but to add work to the title... well, you've entered a new dimension of parenthood. Raising children full-time has its own unique set of challenges that not too many people talk about, especially when you're a mom who also works from home. Emotions of guilt oftentimes lead to emotions of regret and frustration to even jealousy and fear. It's not something moms choose to experience but it sometimes comes with the territory.

If you really think about it, it's quite understandable how working SAHMs can feel this way. When you initially make the decision to run an home-based business, you're going to have to get your start in running it just like any other business, meaning you're going to need to build a website, you're going to need to look at a customizable business insurance policy, and you're going to need to devise an effective marketing plan.

On top of that, you'll also have mommy duties like feeding, cleaning, playing, and you can't forget... nap time! So with running a business and being a mother, you're going to need to find a good balance in getting work done with your business and upholding your motherly duties. The pressure is intense! 

There are some hacks you can do to increase your work productivity and actually get some work done but in your mind, it can feel like in order to be a mom and run a business, you're going to have to neglect one to prosper in the other but that's not always the case... you can overcome "mommy guilt" but you first have to address the emotions you're feeling and understand why you feel those emotions.

Common Emotions of Guilt Working SAHMs Experience on a Daily Basis

Regret

Regret is an emotion working SAHMs experience in many forms but there are two common forms. You'll either regret working from home because it's taking you away from time that could be spent with your children or you regret becoming a SAHM because you gave up a career for parenthood. In either situation, there's absolutely nothing to feel guilty about but when you're actually experiencing that emotion, you're not going to see it like that.

The overall feeling of regret is feeling like you made a big mistake and that can be one of the worst feelings in the world, whether you feel like you're not dedicating enough time to your business or to your children, it can feel very overwhelming and defeating.

When experiencing regret, it will definitely get better with time but in the meantime, try to find ways that you can get the best of both worlds. If you breastfeed, consider pumping while responding to emails. Or hire a nanny two days out of the week to give you a bit of a break to get some work done.

Jealousy

Having children and working from home, as mentioned earlier, has its own unique set of challenges but it becomes very apparent when you're having a hard time getting your business off the ground while your friends or peers are in the same boat as you but they're experiencing more success than you. 

The question of "why not me?" is a common and frequent one that is the direct result of jealousy. It's hard to not compare yourself to others simply because the very thing you want, which is success, and you're not getting it is constantly being thrown in your face giving you an additional feeling of inadequacy.

Although it's pretty common to experience jealousy, you could be experiencing jealousy unnecessarily. There are several factors that play into the success of a business that your business hasn't had the chance to experience yet. The length of time a business has been operating plays a major role in their success story. Success doesn't happen overnight and if another business is more successful than yours, it's probably because it's been in business much longer. So don't come down so hard on yourself and your business.

Frustration

Feeling frustrated is really an emotion that you're not going to be able to fully get rid of... it's something you're going to experience whether you work from home or go into the office and the sooner you can embrace it (in sense) the sooner those things that frustrate you, will no longer affect you as much. You'll simply look at those issues as a way to stretch your way of thinking to find a better solution.

It's Going to Take Time But You're Doing Great

It's important to understand at the core that being a mom is hard and running a business is no walk in the park either so don't beat yourself up if you feel like you're excelling in one area more than another. According to lifeasmama.com, if you make sure you're getting plenty of rest, separate work time and mommy time, and constantly remind yourself that you're doing a great job in both areas, you're going to be on the right path to overcoming the guilt trips that come with being a working SAHM.

You've got this!