As you sit here and read this, I want you to know that you’re an incredible human being and that your best is good enough—in fact that is an understatement.

Maybe it’s late, and you’re scrolling through your phone. You came across this article, and whilst you know that your body needs a good night’s sleep, your mind is still incredibly active.

You wake up every single day with the intention to be better and do better, and you finish your day barely making it to the end, fearing that you’re coming up short.

Every day, you set the alarm to wake up a little earlier, to do something that will benefit you; however, when the alarm sounds, you snooze, only waking up just in time to get yourself and your little ones ready for their day.

You know you want to be more present with your children. This time is precious and you won’t get it back, yet your mind is overthinking and you suddenly realise that you weren’t really paying attention.

The many balls that you juggle in the air are only a fraction of the many balls of thoughts that you juggle in your mind.

You want to set an example and for your children to be proud of you, yet in your mind you bully yourself with all of the countless ways that you’re failing.

You want more intimacy with your partner, and yet most days, you’re unable to intimately connect with yourself. You look in the mirror and see another wrinkle or sign of aging, and you can’t imagine why your partner would still want to be with you.

Your body and mind are both tired from caring for others and putting their needs before your own, yet you still find a way to put their needs before yours.

You want to be that maternal mother whom you read about in fairy tales; however, you also want to be that goddess who is desired and that businesswoman who is a force to be reckoned with. How do those Instagram influencers do it all?

You compare yourself daily with your friends and the Instagram posts that show people winning at life. You cannot imagine what that feels like because, every day, you feel you barely made it through.

You give more than you take, and you never expect anything in return, yet you live for those moments when you see your child smile or that remind you how much love they have for you.

You live for those pockets of moments where suddenly all time stands still when your babies express real joy on their faces.

Mumma, I want you to know that you are an unsung hero. Maybe others don’t see all that you do, including you, but the universe sees it.

Please know that you are a child also, a child of the universe, and although you may not see it or feel it at times, you are loved unconditionally.

The changes that your body experiences as it moves into puberty, child bearing, motherhood, and menopause, and how you take it all in your stride is admirable. Not to mention all of the hormone changes along with the sense of loss as you grieve the parts of you that no longer exist.

I speak on behalf of the universe to bring you this message, that your effort and energy are more than enough. You’ve got this, and you need to cut yourself some slack.

Save a little portion of that unconditional love that you have for your children for yourself and nurture yourself in any way possible.

Speak to yourself with only kind words and share time with friends and family who lift you up.

Take all the guilt and shame that you feel as a lover/wife/mother/sister/friend/colleague and bag them up and throw them out of your body. They serve no purpose. You have only ever done what you could do with the tools and information that you’ve had at the time.

We all make mistakes, and it’s all a part of our journey here on planet earth.

So my message to you is to stop the scrolling on social media and to stop all of the comparisons. They’re not you. They haven’t walked your path, and if they did, maybe they wouldn’t have handled it all as effortlessly as you have.

Good night to all the unsung heroes out there, to all the mothers who give more than they take and expect nothing back in return.

I applaud you and I love you.

~ The Universe