School supply lists, drop-offs, screen time — parents manage endless details before even getting out of bed. Add work and life responsibilities, and it’s no surprise that moms, in particular, have experienced a drastic decline in mental health in recent years.A 2025 report published in the American Medical Association journal JAMA found that moms of children ages 0-17 are experiencing worsening mental health across all socioeconomic backgrounds. (Breaking news: Water is wet!)The study surveyed nearly 200,000 moms, 89.8% of whom were age 30 and older. It found that the percentage of moms who said they had “excellent” mental health declined from 38.4% in 2016 to 25.8% in 2023. Those who reported “fair/poor” mental health rose from 5.5% to 8.5% over the years. This sharp drop in mental health is concerning, and more research is needed to know exactly why.HuffPost chatted with leading mental health experts, who were not involved in this study, to learn more about why moms might be struggling with their mental health now more than ever.Moms Are Juggling A Lot “Parenting is the perfect recipe for burnout,” Robyn Koslowitz, a clinical child psychologist and author of “Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle and Become the Parent You Always Wanted To Be,” told HuffPost. “It demands round-the-clock emotional availability, regulation, flexibility and decision-making — often while you’re sleep-deprived and touched out,” she continued. “Add financial strain, lack of affordable child care, no paid leave and a mental health system that’s inaccessible to many and it becomes unsustainable.” Anne Welsh, a clinical psychologist and author of ”Ambitious Mother,” agrees. “We’re asking mothers to do too much, with too little,” she told HuffPost, noting that societal expectations, insufficient systemic support and internalized perfectionism are fueling this crisis.“Mothers are expected to be emotionally attuned, professionally productive, physically healthy, socially present and politically engaged all at once,” she said. “We’ve created a gold-standard, idealized version of ‘good motherhood’ that’s both exhaustive and exclusive. And we rarely pause to ask: At what cost?”More Expectations, Less HelpMoms have been trying to find a work-life balance for decades, but that goal seems even more impossible now.“Many mothers report a growing sense of burnout, decision fatigue and emotional overload,” Dr. Ariadna Forray, an associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Wellbeing of Women and Mothers at Yale School of Medicine, told HuffPost.“Ten or 20 years ago, the primary concern might have been juggling work and parenting,” she explained. “Today, mothers are also grappling with maintaining their children’s mental health to a greater degree than before, managing digital exposure, navigating shifting expectations around parenting roles with often unrealistic portrayals from social media and feeling a lack of community or shared caregiving.”“Mothers are feeling more isolated, and the ‘village’ that once helped raise children feels increasingly absent for many,” she added.Not to mention, many moms are also trying to break harmful generational patterns through their parenting, which isn’t easy. “They’re doing it without models, without support and often while healing in real time,” Koslowitz explained. “That’s a huge cognitive and emotional load.”“They’re not just parenting children — they’re parenting their own inner children too. And it’s exhausting,” Koslowitz added.Davin G Photography via Getty ImagesSocietal expectations, insufficient systemic support and internalized perfectionism are fueling this crisis.Unrealistic MotherhoodDespite having a community of friends online, social media is just making things worse with its “idealized and unrealistic portrayals of motherhood,” Forray said. She said that much of the online content we see “subtly reinforces perfectionism — homemade meals, spotless homes, thriving kids and mothers who are perpetually present and patient.”We’ve all seen those #TradWife accounts of mothers making homemade PB&J sandwiches with made-from-scratch bread, peanut butter and jelly. Things like this (even to a lesser degree) “can breed guilt, comparison, stress and a sense of inadequacy,” Forray said.“Even when mothers know the content is curated, it’s hard not to internalize the pressure,” she said.The rise of “gentle parenting” content can also be problematic. Moms have told Koslowitz that they’ve cried after yelling at their child once because an Instagram reel said it would harm their child’s attachment. “The pressure to be endlessly calm, connected and creative while managing real-life stress is immense — and deeply unrealistic,” she said.Mothers are just trying to do their best, and feeling shamed for losing their cool during their toddler’s tantrum at Target is helping no one. (You can bet our parents didn’t lose sleep over similar situations.) Increasing Financial StrainParenting in this economy? Good luck! Moms are stressed with their finances, and the rising cost of living doesn’t seem to be going down anytime soon.Child care costs rival a second income. Welsh said, “Mothers are forced into impossible choices: pay more than they earn to keep working, or step back and risk long-term career consequences.”“Inflation and economic uncertainty also widen existing inequalities,” Welsh continued. “I work with mothers across a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, and for many, financial pressure isn’t just stress, it’s survival.”“The unpredictability of caregiving logistics (e.g., closures, sick days, waitlists) also adds to the mental load and erodes a sense of stability and control,” Forray added.The Invisible Mental LoadThe mental load is a real — and often unnoticed — part of modern motherhood.“It’s not just mental. It’s emotional. It’s physical. It’s spiritual,” Koslowitz said. “The load isn’t just ‘who packed the lunch?’ It’s ‘did I say the wrong thing?’, ‘Will she be OK in that new group?’, ‘How do I stop this cycle?’ Moms aren’t just managing logistics, they’re running a full-scale emotional triage unit in their heads, all day long. Especially if they’re parenting with a history of trauma.”It’s the “constant invisible work involved in managing a household and family, which often falls disproportionately on mothers,” Forray said. Think: anticipating needs, planning, managing emotions, making decisions, absorbing societal expectations and carrying the weight of everyone else’s well-being.“Recognizing and sharing this responsibility is the first step to rebalancing it, alleviating some of the stress and improving well-being,” she continued.Welsh adds, “If we want to improve mothers’ mental health, we have to stop treating the mental load as a private problem and start seeing it as a collective one. This is not just about helping mothers cope; it’s about changing what we expect them to carry in the first place.”Common Symptoms Of BurnoutExperts share these common signs of burnout in motherhood.These include:Trouble sleeping; emotional and physical exhaustionIrritabilityDecision fatigue; anxiety about small decisions or constant worryA loss of joy or identity outside of motherhoodPerfectionism; persistent guilt and feelings of inadequacyIntrusive thoughtsDifficulty concentratingA sense of flattening, as if you’ve lost access to joy, creativity, or a sense of self beyond caregivingFor moms of toddlers: sleep deprivation, sensory overload, touch aversion, rage episodes, anxiety about getting it “right,” intensity of caretaking and mental load of logisticsFor moms of teens: fear of disconnection, navigating independence, panic it’s “too late,” and dealing with worry and letting goHow Moms Can Protect Their Mental HealthIt’s clear that moms are stressed. So how can we protect our mental health?Let go of perfection.“One of the most powerful strategies is learning to shift from perfectionism to what I call healthy striving,” Welsh said.“Good enough is enough,” Koslowitz added. “Repair matters more than perfection. Your child doesn’t need a perfect parent — they need a present one who tries and reconnects.”Take micro breaks.Taking as little as 10 minutes a day to “reconnect with one’s identity outside of caregiving” is essential, Forray said. Welsh calls these “micro-moments of restoration,” which are “small, consistent practices that replenish.”Engage in basic necessities.Every mom deserves to get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, move their bodies and take a shower.Set boundaries.Set realistic expectations and practice saying no to things that don’t align, suggests Welsh. This is especially crucial with social media “and the culture of over-scheduling,” Forray said.Build a support network.“Seeking connection — not just through playdates, but through real conversations with people who get it,” Welsh said.Practice co-regulation techniques.This could look like blowing bubbles with your toddler, chewing gum in the carpool line or splashing cold water on your face, Koslowitz said. “These small interventions teach your body safety, even when your mind feels unsafe.”“Coping strategies don’t need to be elaborate — they just need to be consistent and self-compassionate,” Forray said. “Mothers need to take care of themselves first, to be able to care for others.”Share the mental load. Name your mental load and divide it with a partner. Welsh recommends using the Fair Play system if you need help. “Don’t wait until you’re falling apart to ask for help,” she adds. “Preventive care is mental health care.”Ask for help. “If the feeling of exhaustion, sadness or anxiety is affecting [a mother’s] daily life, relationships or ability to enjoy things, that’s a time to reach out for help,” Forray said.“If you’re wondering whether you need support, you probably do,” Koslowitz added. “That doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means you’re trying. Therapy isn’t just for crises — it’s also a space to reclaim yourself.”