Joanna Gaines Shares ‘Anxiety’ Over Her Biggest Mom Mistake

Former Fixer Upper star Joanna Gaines just admitted her “anxiety” over her biggest mom mistake, and it is something that all parents can relate to in this social media-driven world where people attempt to make situations look more perfect than they actually are in the hopes of a sharable photo.

While social media sharing sites such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are great tools for anyone looking to post things they have learned, photos they want to be seen, or things they want to be publicized, it can also have a downside, particularly for moms who are judged on just how perfectly they are handling their responsibilities.

Gaines is no exception to this rule. In fact, she feels even more pressure than before for things to be picture-perfect as she is a person whose career has been based on pleasing aesthetics.

The HGTV superstar revealed her struggles with social media in the latest issue of The Magnolia Journal, a story featured on Today.

“It wasn’t so very long ago that I had only a handful of followers on Instagram,” Gaines said in a new column published in her magazine, per Today. “There wasn’t any pressure to post anything at all, so whenever I did, it didn’t really cross my mind whether or not people would ‘like’ it.”

The mother of five children, ranging in ages from 13-years-old to 6 months, soon realized that as a public figure, she began to put undue pressure on herself to create the perfect atmosphere for her photos before posting, taking away some of the spontaneity that comes with sharing the imperfections of motherhood.

“I could feel insecurity start to creep in, and posting a photo was no longer an act of enjoying the in-the-moments of life but rather a more calculated decision,” Gaines said in the magazine.

“With every picture I found myself critiquing if there were messy backgrounds or blurry smiles. I think this is how we can end up losing sight of what it worthy of sharing and what is even more worthy than that — moments worth simply experiencing,” she concluded.

Gaines, who parents children Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie, and Crew Gaines alongside husband Chip, realized that she needed to remember that motherhood is all about moments rather than perfection.

Since ending their HGTV series, the couple continues to run The Silos at Magnolia as well as a host of other businesses under their company umbrella, including design, food service, their magazine, and a line of goods that are sold at Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

People Magazine reported in November 2018 that Joanna and Chip Gaines will partner with the Discovery Network for their own lifestyle television series. The couple announced the news on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Details regarding that series will be forthcoming.