Author Archives: Amanda Tan

A psychologist’s personal take on embodying multiple roles. At the beginning, becoming a mother can feel like a crappy promotion — additional responsibilities without the pay raise. In fact, you might even be facing a pay cut — just as your family would most benefit from better finances. I have three small humans under 5, and I often feel scatteredContinue reading “3 Steps to Finding Fulfillment as a Mother+”

Photo by 张 学欢 on Unsplash My daughter was born in 2020, and two years in, I’m soon to be a mother to not one but two humans born during the pandemic. Of course, the recent news headlines stating that babies born during the pandemic show developmental delays alarmed me as a parent. We tend toContinue reading “A Response to Headlines about Pandemic Babies and Developmental Delays — Let’s not catastrophize.”

Reflecting on our thought processes helps us improve how we respond to our children. Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash As new parents, we often find ourselves short on time and energy. Our cognitive resources become limited and it is natural for us to take shortcuts in thinking. However, sometimes these shortcuts take the form ofContinue reading “4 Cognitive Distortions to Be Aware of as New Parents”

A psychologist’s personal take on the experience of maternal guilt. Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash I wish I had known about the guilt. You’ve experienced it, I’ve experienced it, and if the Netflix drama The Crown is to be believed, Her Majesty the Queen of England has experienced it. No one told me about it, butContinue reading “How to Manage the Mom Guilt”

I wish someone had warned me that I would be sharing my body for more than the nine months of pregnancy! Photo by Luiza Braun on Unsplash Soon after my daughter’s birth, it sank in — I was no longer just “me.” The diminished ownership of my body and lack of time alone was a shocking adjustment. From the physicalContinue reading “When My Body is Not Only My Own”

A psychologist’s personal take on addressing shyness to overcome loneliness during the pandemic. Photo by Ana Tavares on Unsplash I recently surprised myself by signing up for an app to help me make new friends. Typically shy and introverted by nature, I barely post anything on social media to be viewed by my own family andContinue reading “How a Shy Mum Made New Friends”

A psychologist’s personal take on the messy and beautiful experience of nursing in the night. Photo by Molly Belle on Unsplash The Mess When I had my baby, I did not immediately feel like a “mummy”. I did not experience love at first sight for my newborn. But with the physical recovery of childbirth to deal with, perhaps I might be forgiven. Then came the dreaded nightContinue reading “How I Survive the Night Feeds”