Super Mom Syndrome: Does Your Wife or Mom Have It?

Super Mom Syndrome Profile

Many married and single women with nine-to-five jobs and even housewives are starting to complain. It is getting harder to balance their careers and families. Even when their husbands tend to help them out, no one knows the finer details of raising children better than mothers. Women are expected to have higher levels of energy to get things done.

A "Super Mom Syndrome" is a point when a mother begins to feel exhaustion and immense guilt at the same time. She feels responsible for the many problems in her household. She blames herself for the lack of immediate solution. In the process, the Super Mom troubleshoots frequently. She is often found multi-tasking while thinking of the next job that needs to be prioritized. A Super Mom thinks she has to do something at the moment or else her family will fall apart.

A Super Mom expects her house to be immaculately clean especially in the kitchen area. She finds a need to prepare elaborate dishes for her family. She juggles a career, a hobby, and the extra-curricular activities of her children. She takes charge of the bills and mailing the payment. She makes sure there are groceries in the house. She is responsible that all the children have their dental and medical check-ups. She brings the cars for the necessary oil changes and maintenance. She bathes the little children and coerces the older ones to take a bath. She treks Mt. Washmore in the laundry room.

A Super Mom is always cutting close on deadlines. She finds herself allowing paper-pile ups at home. She feels so cluttered and disorganized.

The mother with "Super Mom Syndrome" experiences passive anger. She feels betrayed by her children. She invests her time, her career potential, her wants so that she can prioritize the needs of the child. She thinks that being selfless will make the child act positively. She feels responsible for a smile in her children's faces 24/7. Ironically, she holds resentment at her children for " doing this to me" and then feels guilty and plans an unscheduled fun activity.

The mother with "Super Mom Syndrome" feels frustrated for it seems like she is always starting from scratch in all her endeavors. Goals for the day are hardly met. She tries to juggle many activities but frustrated that it could have gone better. Some Super Moms prefer being labeled as having "perfectionist" tendencies.

A mother with "Super Mom Syndrome" is silently fuming at her husband. She is gnashing her teeth while her husband teases her for her low sex drive. Her husband wonders why she collapses in bed even after massaging her steel-tight shoulder muscles. She cannot understand the headaches. Then, she worries about losing her sense of bubbly disposition.

Dr. Kent Holtorf, in his article at Clevelandwomen.com identifies 21 symptoms of the Super Mom Syndrome.

1. Inability to achieve target weight loss (I can't lose weight like I use to)

2. No positive results from exercise regimens ( I don't get the results from working out as I used to)

3. Depression ( I feel depressed)

4. Body aches complaints

5. Poor skin tone (My skin is dry and rough)

6. Painful joints (My joints hurt)

7. Noticing of wrinkles ( I am aging faster than I would like)

8. Fatigue (I tire easily)

9. Cold sweats ( I feel cold all the time )

10. Diminishing sex drive (My libido is shot)

11. Hair loss (My hair is thinning)

12. Anxiety (I don't feel right)

13. Poor nail health (My nails break easily)

14. Poor immune system (I get sick easily)

15. Frequent headaches

16. Water Retention (I seem to retain water)

17. Constipation (I'm always constipated)

18. Irritability before periods (I have PMS)

19. I have lost my motivation

20. I am being treated for depression but I'm still depressed

21. I'm not getting much relief from my treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia

Two Important Remedies for Super Mom Syndrome

1. Self Care Plan to De-stress

The stressed out Mom must identify the activities that help her de-stress and rejuvenate her energy. She must commit to a "Self-care" plan so she can feel beautiful inside and out.

2. Hormone Optimization

Hormone optimization involves seeing a medical specialist to do hormonal testing. This will ensure that her hormones are functioning at their optimal levels. Problems related to fatigue, depression and difficulty in losing weight can be handled by hormone specialists. Hormone optimization will make a woman feel better. It can also reduce the risk of life-threatening stress-related conditions.

Conclusion

A super mom wears many hats in a day. Juggling many roles sounds very familiar and typical of mothers. The resulting stress outcomes are seldom addressed in standard medicine. However, a mom exhibiting Super mom syndrome must ensure that she has a "self-care plan" and see a specialized provider to prevent hormone-related effects of fatigue, depression and illnesses.

Understanding the subtle workings of a woman's hormones and de-stressing activities can help you wear the "Super Mom" cape with style.

Sources:

"Parenting Overload-Super Mom Syndrome", More4kids.com

Peggy Porter, "Super Mom Syndrome: 10 Reasons Why You Need to Ditch this Pursuit"

Kent Holtorf, M.D., "Hormone Imbalances May Be Why You Can't Do It All", Cleveland Women Journal

Super Mom Syndrome, Justmommies.com