How to Quiet the Mean Voice in Your Head | Katherine Wintsch

How to Quiet the Mean Voice in Your Head | Katherine Wintsch
3/16/15, 9:28 AM
iOS app (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-huffington-post/id306621789?mt=8)
Desktop Alerts
Log in
Create Account
Android app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.huffingtonpost.android&hl=en)
More (/big-news/#parents)
March 16, 2015
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parents)
Edition: U.S.
Like
734k
Follow
Newsletters
Huffington Post Search
FRONT PAGE
HEALTHY LIVING
TEEN
WOMEN
(HTTP://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM) (HTTP://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM/HEALTHY- (HTTP://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM/TEEN/) (HTTP://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM/W
Parents (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parents/) • Moms (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-moms/) • Dads (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-dads/)
LIVING/)
• Pregnancy (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-pregnancy/) • Babies (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-babies/)
• Toddlers (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-toddlers/) • Kids (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-kids/)
• Teens (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-teens/) • Global Motherhood (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/global-motherhood/)
• Back To School (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-back-to-school/) • Third Metric (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/third-metric/)
• Healthy Kids (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-healthy-kids/) • Love Matters (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/love-matters/)
Safari Power Saver
Click to Start Flash Plug-in
HOT ON THE BLOG
Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from
HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors
Maria Shriver
Mika Brzezinski
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mikashriver/help-me-wipe-out-
brzezinski/syria-one-
alzheimers-
womans-
now_b_6876890.html?
story_1_b_6872474.html?
utm_hp_ref=Parents)
utm_hp_ref=Parents)
Dr. Peggy Drexler
Stedman Graham
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peggy(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stedmandrexler/mean-people-suck-
graham/passion-with-a-
but-they-are-often-
purposefro_b_6839142.html?
successful_b_6867734.html? utm_hp_ref=Parents)
utm_hp_ref=Parents)
Katherine Wintsch (/katherine-wintsch/)
Become a
(/users/login/)
(http://twitter.com/kwintsch)
fan (/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Katherine Wintsch)
Founder & CEO: The Mom Complex
How to Quiet the Mean Voice in Your Head
Posted: 02/10/2015 1:10 pm EST
Updated: 02/10/2015 1:59 pm EST
ADVERTISEMENT
Safari Power Saver
Click to Start Flash Plug-in
44 (javscript:void(0))
Like
8
Share
(https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fkatherine-wintsch%2Fhow-
8
to-quiet-the-mean-voice-in-your-head_b_6640046.html)
Tweet
(https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?
0
lang=en&text=How+to+Quiet+the+Mean+Voice+in+Your+Head+%40huffPostBlog++http%3A%2F%2Fhuff.to%2F1y8lSXC)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-wintsch/how-to-quiet-the-mean-voice-in-your-head_b_6640046.html
Page 1 of 4
How to Quiet the Mean Voice in Your Head | Katherine Wintsch
3/16/15, 9:28 AM
(http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?media=http%3A%2F%2Fi.huffpost.com%2Fgen%2F1900329%2Fimages%2Fn-
0
SLEEP-APNEAComment
large570.jpg&description=How+to+Quiet+the+Mean+Voice+in+Your+Head&url=http%3A//www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-
wintsch/how-to-quiet-the-mean-voice-in-your-head_b_6640046.html)
Life can be exhausting. Especially if you're a mother. Yes, because of all the physical
demands of cleaning up bodily fluids, buckling and unbuckling seatbelts, and
navigating through pumpkin patches and sibling rivalries... but even more so because
of the very critical and very cruel voice in our own heads saying (or in my case yelling)
that we're not doing it well enough.
After I became a mother in 2007, the mean voice in my head pointing out all my
deficiencies and inadequacies got louder and louder.
Why is it so hard for you to get this parenting thing down? Everyone else has it
figured out.
How could you possibly miss that school event for a meeting? Get your priorities
straight!
SUGGESTED FOR YOU
What must other moms think of you?
As the voice got louder, I started working harder to prove it wrong. Putting my two
children to bed, then working until midnight from my laptop on the couch. Baking
cupcakes for school events, then racing to the airport for a business trip. I wanted to
prove I could do it all -- but continued to believe I was getting it all wrong.
1. Hilary Duff's Bikini Selfie Is For
All The Moms Out There
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
The mean voice in my head was making me so mentally and physically bone-tired and
exhausted that I knew I needed to do something drastic. Since I couldn't escape the
voice, I decided to expose it.
I took to the TEDx stage and told the world that I had no idea what I was doing. And I
asked the mothers of the world if they felt the same. Turns out they do.
59 minutes ago huffingtonpost.com
The Huffington Post
HuffingtonPost.com (AOL) Cavan
Sieczkowski Cavan Sieczkowski
Most Popular on HuffPost
2. Jessica Alba Doesn't Look Like
This Anymore
21 hours ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Lauren Zupkus Lauren
Zupkus Most Popular on HuffPost
3. A Cheerleader Was Bullied During
A Game. What Happened Next Will
Amaze You
Admitting my vulnerability out loud changed my life. I have a new sense of freedom I
never experienced before. People say the truth hurts, but when it's your truth it
doesn't hurt: it feels awesome.
I shared my truth. What's yours?
Follow Katherine Wintsch on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kwintsch
(http://www.twitter.com/kwintsch)
MORE: Having It All, Moms, Working Moms
4 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Dominique Mosbergen
Dominique Mosbergen Most Popular
on HuffPost
4. Bikini'd Kate Hudson Hits The
Beach With Chris Martin
16 hours ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post AOL Forex Lauren
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-wintsch/how-to-quiet-the-mean-voice-in-your-head_b_6640046.html
Page 2 of 4
How to Quiet the Mean Voice in Your Head | Katherine Wintsch
3/16/15, 9:28 AM
You May Like
1.
The Most Unfortunate Photos Ever Taken 5
months ago urbantabloid.com Urban Tabloid UrbanTabloid.com (sponsored)
2.
From Hot to Heavy: Celebrities Who Got Fat a
month ago slickamericans.com Slick Americans SlickAmericans.com
(sponsored)
3.
12 Celebs Who Came Out Of The Closet 2
months ago wplol.us WPLOL wplol.us chec chec (sponsored) Celebrities
4.
Huffington Post AOL Forex Lauren
Zupkus Lauren Zupkus Most Popular
on HuffPost
5. Man Admits He Killed Wife,
Dumped Body In Desert
2 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Steven Hoffer Steven Hoffer
Most Popular on HuffPost
6. Teens Accused Of Beheading 3
Puppies, Posting Act On Snapchat
2 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Sebastian Murdock Sebastian
Murdock Most Popular on HuffPost
7. Nothing Sums Up British Humor
Like This
3 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL)
8. Sean Hannity Interviewed A
Ferguson Protestor. It Didn't End
Well.
Rental Property Deductions You Can Take at Tax Time a week ago
paid.zemanta.com TurboTax Zemanta.com (sponsored)
5.
MD Advice: How To Remove Dark Spots a
month ago beverlyhills-md.com Beverly Hills MD (sponsored) (sponsored)
6.
10 Celebs Who Are Incredibly Short 2 months
Sponsored Links
LifeLock® Official Site
2 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Katie Sola Katie Sola Most
Popular on HuffPost
9. Padma Lakshmi: "I missed a week
of my life for 23 years"
Comprehensive Protection With LifeLock Ultimate Plus™
LifeLock.com
American Express Travel
Explore Great Travel Offers When Booking With American Express.
americanexpress.com/Travel
Hot Stock Alert - TAYO
TAYO Set to Expand Acquisitions in Colorado Market.
thirdavenuedevelopment.com
Buy a link here
Conversations
Add a comment...
Comment
2 days ago blogs.babycenter.com
HuffingtonPost.com (AOL) Sara
McGinnis Sara McGinnis celebrity
infertility
10. 17 incredible photos show the
beauty of childbirth
Facebook social plugin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-wintsch/how-to-quiet-the-mean-voice-in-your-head_b_6640046.html
Page 3 of 4
How to Quiet the Mean Voice in Your Head | Katherine Wintsch
3/16/15, 9:28 AM
3 days ago blogs.babycenter.com
HuffingtonPost.com (AOL) Carolyn
Robertson Carolyn Robertson
International Association of
Professional Birth Photographers
FOLLOW HUFFPOST
Email Address
The Morning Email
Sign me up!
Parents
Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day..
Huffington Post Search
Advertise (Http://Advertising.aol.com/Brands/Huffington-Post)
Log In (/Users/Login/)
RSS (/Syndication)
Make HuffPost Your Home Page (/Makehome/)
Careers (/Jobs/)
User Agreement (/Terms.html)
FAQ (/Faq/)
Privacy (Http://Privacy.aol.com/)
Comment Policy (/Comment/Policy/)
About Us (/P/Huffington-Post.html)
About Our Ads (Http://Adinfo.aol.com/About-Our-Ads/)
Copyright ©2015 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
Contact Us (/Contact/)
"The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part of AOL Family
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-wintsch/how-to-quiet-the-mean-voice-in-your-head_b_6640046.html
Page 4 of 4