The Dirty Word Women Need to Stop Saying
‘Should’ is the modern woman’s shackle.
‘Should’ is the modern woman’s shackle. It ties us to guilt and shame and “never good enough.” — Mary Gallagher
I have my list of personal ‘shoulds’ and I am sure you do too. I’ve carried them around like a ball and chain. They kept me bound to societal pressures, family expectations, religious rules, and my own unrealistic expectations of perfection.
Our ‘should’ lists can contain the hard stuff: I should call the friend I lost touch with; I should visit my mother-in-law; I should lose 35 pounds. Or they can be senseless things that we have somehow elevated to the status of life-altering or necessary in order to be a good mom, wife, friend.
Shoulds like: I should document every first day of school like a good mom would. or I should make homemade lunches and sew my own pillows only serve to drain emotional energy that could be used in loving ourselves and others.
