Ep.3 I'm a Damn Good Mom

Episode 3 - Teresa: I'm a Damn Good MomThe step work she put down a hundred times. The words she finally let herself mean.When you first meet Teresa, you get warmth. You get someone who will talk to absolutely anyone, who FaceTimes her sister every single morning, who moves her body every day because she knows what happens when she doesn't. What you don't see is the years she spent just surviving - going to work, keeping the lights on, showing up in all the ways that looked right from the outside while quietly disappearing on the inside. She was a functioning addict for years while raising her girls. Nobody knew. She barely knew. The version of herself she was becoming in private was starting to show up in places she did not want it to, and the fear of rejection she had carried her entire life made it almost impossible to say that to anyone out loud.Near the end of our conversation, she told me she is a damn good mom. She said it like she had finally earned the right to believe it. She has.A gentle heads-up: This episode includes discussion of addiction and recovery, childhood family dynamics, parenting through an identity you are still figuring out, and the kind of guilt that does not leave just because you have changed. Resources are below. Please take care of yourself as you listen.Resources If anything in this episode touched something real for you, please reach out for support.988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - call or text 988 (US)Crisis Text Line - text HOME to 741741 (US)SAMHSA National Helpline (substance use, mental health) - 1-800-662-4357 (US)Narcotics Anonymous meeting finder - na.org (international)SMART Recovery (science-based alternative to 12-step, online meetings worldwide) - smartrecovery.orgPsychology Today therapist finder - psychologytoday.com (US and international listings)If you're outside the US - findahelpline.com connects you to crisis support in more than 200 countries. Befrienders Worldwide offers free emotional support at befrienders.org.If you don't feel ready to call anyone, even telling one safe person you're struggling counts.If this episode stayed with you Please follow, rate, and share. One text to one person is the single biggest thing you can do for a show this size, and it might be exactly what someone in your life needs today. Tag us on socials @anchormomentspod. If you have a story you think belongs here, reach out at [email protected]. I'm Krista Patrick. This is Anchor Moments. You are already part of someone's story. Carry that with kindness.