Study: Perfectionist Working Moms Likelier to Be Depressed

Chances are you know working women who try to achieve the "supermom" ideal, balancing work and family perfectly without missing a beat. Perhaps you are a “supermom” wannabe yourself. In reality, this goal is almost impossible to achieve—and the effort can leave you totally exhausted. But chasing that goal may also be bad for your mental health. A new study finds that women who take a realistic view of balancing work and home life are less likely to experience depression than those fixated on trying to achieve this perfect balance.

The study found that women who rejected the "we can do it all perfectly" mentality were less likely to have symptoms of depression. (The study also found that employed women have better mental health than stay-at-home moms.) Of course, if you come to terms with the fact that you'll never achieve perfection when juggling it all, the challenge is to decide what things you can let slide, and when "good enough" is good enough. Most likely, the support you get both at home and in the office also plays a big part in determining how your juggling act affects your mental health.

Have any experience—yours or others’—with the “supermom” ideal? Let us know in the comments.

Image courtesy of happyworker