It’s that time of year again — the time when summer days begin to shorten, summer nights require a sweater, and back to school sales fill the stores.

But, this year, everything feels completely different.

This year, mothers everywhere are facing the beginning of the school year with a growing sense of fear, anxiety, and hopelessness.

I know I am.

Each day I wake up still uncertain about the back to school plan. Each day finds me second guessing my family’s decision to allow our sons to return to school in a hybrid model versus a fully remote option. Each day finds the dread and sadness building in me. Each day finds the lightness of summer fading.

This is not how this was supposed to go.

Right now, my head is filled with a million racing thoughts:

• How can I help my children learn remotely this year?
• What is the best physical space for them?
• How are they going to stay engaged all day?
• How can I make sure they learn something?
• How are they going to feel emotionally with this new school plan?
• How can I balance their schooling and all of the other things I have to do?
• How can I possibly do everything that is required of me.
• What if I fail at this?
• What if I can’t do this?
• Are they going to be ok?
• Am I going to be ok?

What is being asked of us as mothers right now is almost impossible to understand and has created one of the most pressure-filled moments of motherhood I can remember.

I am overwhelmed and sad that this is our reality.

But, I am trying desperately to hold two key thoughts close to my heart. These thoughts have become mantras for me lately and are what I say to myself when the anxiety gets too loud:

1. This is not forever. This is not our new long-term normal. This will not define our children and it will not define us as mothers.
2. We are not in this alone. There are lots of other mothers out there facing similar struggles. We need to lean on each other. We need to commit to calling, texting, and FaceTiming each other regularly to give each other space to vent, complain, and cry and to build each other up.

This will be hard. There is no doubt about it. There will be days when we cry, days when we scream into pillows, and days when we just can’t get motivated. There will also be days where it feels not quite as impossible. There will be days where the smiles outnumber the frustrated sighs.

It will be ok.

We will get to the other side of this challenging time.

This time in our lives will serve to remind us that there are so many things outside of our control, that the uncomfortable and hard times are always temporary, and that we are not alone.

Right now, mamas, we need to breathe in and breathe out, taking this challenge before us one single day at a time while cutting ourselves an amazing sense of grace.

You’ve got this, Mama, and we’ve all got each other.