Women often feel societal pressure to be high achievers in every area of their life – they must be the perfect 'A' student at work, have a body that has simply 'bounced' back after having a baby, and be an all-round supermum complete with an Instagram-worthy home and family life.
But does this make mothers feel guilty trying to juggle everything at once? One mum thinks so: Niamh O’Connell is the founder of
The Wellness Clinic and a holistic nutritionist who believes that a multi-angled approach (diet, exercise, sleep and stress management) is essential for mama's full health
"The so-called 'Mommy Wars' has segregated women into working moms vs stay-at-home moms, breastfeeders vs bottle feeders, but nobody has it easy. Women are demonised whatever their choices. Nobody has the answer yet every mother is sold the lie that she can and should be able to do it all. Women are stressed out trying to uphold that myth." she tells us.
Something has to give, and that something is usually the mother’s well-being. Mothers are having breakdowns, taking anti-anxiety medication and suffering in silence, trying to be 'perfect.' Their mental health is at stake; they’re not sleeping properly, and many are just hanging on by a thread.
“I learned the hard way how to look after my mental and physical health,” says Niamh, “Mothering is so intense, and I was getting burned out regularly. It wasn’t until I tackled my diet, sleep, exercise and stressors that I felt more in control of my life.
By using her experience as a mother-of-three, a homeschooler, and her training in nutrition and lifestyle coaching, she gives talks and workshops around the country and has devised a course for mums, so other mothers can benefit from what she learned.
“I began devising the URBANMAMA programme while finishing my diploma with the Institute of Health Sciences. This was in response to what I was hearing from my peers in real life and online support groups.”
URBANMAMA is a self-care programme where mothers learn the tools to care for themselves, mentally and physically. The programme’s step-by-step approach empowers women to take control of their self-care through nutrition, sleep strategies, stress management, and lifestyle coaching. It is delivered through workshops, talks, weekly tasks and an online support group.
The first workshop which aims to help mums de-stress by learning lifestyle strategies they can integrate easily into their busy lives with minimal fuss is this Sunday 23rd October, 10am - 12.30pm in a beautiful holistic centre off Cork Street, Dublin 8. Tickets, €30 euros on Eventbrite
here or check out
The Wellness Clinic for more.
