• Eight Tips for Surviving the Holidays With Young Kids

    It’s no secret that the holidays can be incredibly stressful, especially for moms of little ones. Here’s a list of eight cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies for surviving the holidays with young kids. Set appropriate expectations: Those first few holidays with little ones will likely not be magical, thanks to the completely unpredictable nature of young kids. Set your expectations low,…

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  • Holidays With Kids Series, #1: Set your holiday expectations low

    As soon as my son was born, I started dreaming about his first holiday season, even though it was only April. By the time December rolled around I had everything perfectly planned out: adorable Christmas sweater, check. Toy menorah, check. Appointment to sit on Santa’s lap, check. I’d waited so many years to bring the magic of the holidays to…

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  • When feeling #grateful is not enough

    From a distance, Emma is the picture of good fortune. Her nails are flawlessly manicured, her makeup expertly applied. She somehow maintains a neat ponytail, despite the windy weather outside, and her perfectly tailored silk blouse and pants are accented with tasteful, elegant jewelry. Yet from where I’m seated, in a chair directly across from her, I can see that…

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  • Happy Galentine’s Day!

    Saw this in my neighborhood Target. I love that Galentine’s Day, from my favorite show Parks & Recreation, has hit the mainstream! We need to celebrate female friendships, especially among new moms. I can’t underscore the importance of having “mom friends” during those early years of parenting–to cheer your successes, talk you through your failures, and help you see that…

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  • Happy Galentine’s Day, Moms!

    Valentine’s Day can be hard for moms. Single moms, moms who are having relationship issues with their partners, moms who feel pressure to curate the world’s best Valentine’s Day celebrations, moms who lose hours of their lives filling out a gazillion valentines for all of their children’s classmates. (Just to add a bit to that last one: last year I…

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  • How moms can cope with holiday stress

    It always happens around this time of year. Moms come into my office, their faces contorted with shame. They sit down on my couch, take a deep breath, and reluctantly confess that they hate the holiday season. Every year at this time I find myself consoling moms who feel extremely guilty about hating the holidays. I don’t know where this…

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Mom Brain Book
mom brain

Proven Strategies to Fight the Anxiety, Guilt, and Overwhelming Emotions of Motherhood—and Relax into Your New Self

About Me

I’m Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco, Ph.D., aka DrCBTMom. DrCBTMom.com combines the expert advice of a self-help book with the warmth and readability of a mommy blog.
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