News anchor's before-and-after photos show the 'hot mess' of real life

Deanna Falzone's job as a morning news anchor may seem glamorous but she said it's makeup and lighting that help her go from "hot mess" to gorgeous.

While viewers only saw the glammed-up version of her, she wanted them to know the whole story.

Falzone told "Good Morning America" she had just returned from maternity leave after the birth of her second child and had been up most of the night with her sick baby when her 3 a.m. alarm went off. She was late to work to her job as the morning news anchor in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"I was feeling overwhelmed, defeated, stressed and exhausted as I worked to balance being a mom and have a career," she said of that period in her life.

But whatever's happening in her personal life has to be put on the backburner.

"Every morning I sit at the anchor desk, makeup and hair done, and start the show at 6 a.m. with a smile on my face," she said. "What people don’t see are the tears I shed as I left my crying baby in the middle of the night and the dark black circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep. I just wanted to show other moms that despite what it looks like, sometimes we’re all just hanging on by a thread and no one has this motherhood thing figured out."

While her job is more high-profile than most, her struggles in motherhood are very much the same as any parent.

"Honestly, some days I’m just in survival mode," she said. "But I try and remind myself how blessed I am and that this is a 'season' in life that one day I know I’ll miss. I try and remind myself that I’m doing my best everyday, despite what my anxiety tells me, and at the end of the day that’s what truly matters."

Falzone said she's been an advocate of mental health since opening up about her struggles with anxiety and OCD.

"We see people on social media or TV and it’s so easy to start comparing. Especially as moms, it’s easy to look at a screen and think everyone else has it so together, but that couldn’t be further from the truth," she said.

In addition to giving herself "a lot of grace," Falzone said she "just keeps showing up" in an effort to deal with the stresses of motherhood and work.

"Keep doing your best," she said. "Seriously, some days we’re going to nail it and other days we’re going to feed our kids cereal for dinner and there's nothing wrong with that. At the end of the day our kids don’t care if we’re perfect, they just care you’re there for them and love them. On days when you feel so defeated and like you have nothing else left to give, that doesn’t mean you’re a failure...it means you’re trying really hard and that is enough. You are enough."