And How to Stop
“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough…”
That Barbie monologue spoke to me, as it did to so many women. America Ferrera was speaking for millions of women who’ve tied themselves in knots trying to be everything to everyone—and ended up losing themselves in the process.
I know because I was one of them.
I was the mom who had trouble tolerating my children’s whining because it made me feel like I was somehow failing. I had a hard time saying “no” to my kids, even when I knew they’d had enough screen time/candy/time at the park. I couldn’t finish even a short conversation with a friend on the phone without attending to every request right away.
I didn’t realize how exhausted it made me until I had a breakdown and had to learn to do things differently.