How ‘SMART goals’ got me out of my postpartum funk
The SMART goals became a distraction from the self-loathing that had consumed me for months.

My youngest child just turned 1.
Knock on wood, I think I'm leaving the new motherhood fog.
I've read such fog lasts for the “fourth trimester," “when your kid sleeps through the night" or “when crawling starts." Mine lasted longer than any of those definitions. Regardless, I'm starting to re-connect with the world and re-figure out the person I am—and who used to be. While the birth of my first child brought a feeling of purpose and joy, the birth of my second came with an unexpected wave of postpartum anxiety and depression. Suddenly I had to navigate mothering with my maternal instincts clouded by exhaustion and self-doubt. I don't like doing things poorly (does anyone?) and I set high expectations for myself as a paren. Accordingly, my confidence took a nose dive.
I've read such fog lasts for the “fourth trimester," “when your kid sleeps through the night" or “when crawling starts." Mine lasted longer than any of those definitions. Regardless, I'm starting to re-connect with the world and re-figure out the person I am—and who used to be. While the birth of my first child brought a feeling of purpose and joy, the birth of my second came with an unexpected wave of postpartum anxiety and depression. Suddenly I had to navigate mothering with my maternal instincts clouded by exhaustion and self-doubt. I don't like doing things poorly (does anyone?) and I set high expectations for myself as a paren. Accordingly, my confidence took a nose dive.
The SMART goals became a distraction from the self-loathing that had consumed me for months.