Session 1: I'm Fine (Are You REALLY?) - Let's Take Stock
We started todays session with a poem by Lyndsey Rush in her book “A Bit Much”
What You Might Discover Today
Here's what I'm hoping might shift for you:
What if the reason you feel overwhelmed isn't actually about your schedule or your inability to keep up?
What if it's about your body responding exactly as it's designed to - but to a situation no human body was ever meant to handle?
You know that automatic "fine" when someone asks how you're doing, while inside you might be drowning? That gap between what you say and what you feel? That might be your body trying to protect you while also trying to tell you something important.
Your body remembers every interrupted thought, every 3am wake-up, every moment you held it together when part of you wanted to fall apart. Sometimes, it starts speaking up - maybe through feeling anxious, or overwhelmed, or like you're one spilled juice box away from losing it completely. Sound familiar?
Your invitation today: Take an honest look at what's actually happening in your world. Not what should be happening or what it looks like everyone else has figured out. Just... what IS. Because it's hard to find your way when you can't see where you actually are.
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Check-In + Brain Dump
Before we dive deeper, make sure you have your journal handy (or notes app, or google doc ready) and when you’re ready take a moment to notice what's happening in your body.
Close your eyes and think:
When you think about actually looking at your overwhelm instead of pushing through it, what comes up? Maybe relief that someone's finally asking? Maybe fear about what you might find? Maybe both at the same time? All of that makes complete sense.
You might feel tension somewhere in your body, or tiredness, or that buzzy feeling, or something completely different. There's no right answer.
Write the beginnings of these sentences and finish them with your very first thought:
My body feels...
I think I should...
I think I shouldn't...
I would like to...
I do not want to...
Guided Visualization: Waves of Motherhood
Sometimes our bodies speak in feelings and pictures, not just words. Instead of thinking our way through this - because honestly, how's that been working for us? - we're going to let your body show you where you are through imagery.
↓ LISTEN OR READ THIS SCRIPT ↓
If you're willing, close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take a few deep breaths.
I'm going to invite you to imagine yourself in a vast body of water. Maybe it's an ocean, maybe a lake, maybe something else entirely. This water represents everything you're carrying - all the worry, the endless tasks, the emotional weight of caring for everyone and everything.
First, just notice where you are in this water. Are you floating peacefully? Maybe you're working hard to keep your head above water? Perhaps you're being tossed around by waves, or maybe you're somewhere in between - just bobbing along. There's no right place to be.
Whatever you notice is exactly right.
Now, what does this feel like in your body?
Is the water warm or cold?
Are the waves gentle or intense?
Maybe everything feels overwhelming, or maybe some parts feel manageable.
Just notice, without needing to change anything.
As you look around, what do you see, if anything?
Maybe there are other people in the water with you.
Maybe you can spot something that could help - a life preserver, a piece of driftwood, a boat in the distance.
Or maybe you can't see anything helpful right now, and that's okay too. Sometimes we're in the thick of it and can't see the resources yet.
Here's what I want you to know: you've been in these waters longer than you might realize, and you're still here. You're still afloat. That's not nothing - that's actually pretty incredible.
Maybe as you float here, you notice you're stronger than you thought. Maybe you realize you've been swimming in impossible conditions and somehow you're still going. Or maybe nothing feels different, and that's fine too.
You don't need to swim to shore today. You don't need to get out of the water. You just need to be exactly where you are and know that you're not alone in these waves.
When you're ready, take a breath and gently open your eyes.
Creative Practice - Your Choice
Pick whatever feels most accessible to you today - based on what energy you have, what supplies are handy, or just what calls to you.
🎨 Option 1: Create Something Visual: Draw, paint, or collage your waves however they feel to you. Maybe you draw where you are in the water, or what the waves felt like, or any resources you noticed. Use whatever you have - even just a pen and paper is perfect. There's no right way to do this.
🖊️ Option 2: Write: Reflect on this prompt: "When I stayed in my spot in the waves instead of trying to fix it, I noticed..."
Remember - this isn't about making something beautiful or profound. It's about letting your body process this experience in whatever way feels right.
Take 10-15 minutes with whichever option you chose.
My Reflection After Creating This Page With You
I’m noticing a part of me that thinks she’s doing better than she actually is.
Her head is barely above water.
She’s looking up, towards the lights, but she’s unsure if she can reach them - what if it takes more energy to get up and out than just staying here?
As you look at this, you might notice something similar in yourself. What part of you is just keeping her head above water today?
Journal Practice: What Did You Notice?
What shifted in your body, if anything?
Maybe something shifted in your body - tension released, or breathing changed, or you felt more settled. Maybe nothing shifted and that's information too.
What surprised you about where you found yourself?
What surprised you, if anything, about where you found yourself in the water? Sometimes we discover we're in a different place than we thought, or that we've been managing more than we realized.
What You Discovered Today
Look what you did today:
You showed up.
You looked honestly at where you are instead of where you think you should be.
You stayed present with your reality without immediately trying to fix it or change it.
This is the foundation everything else builds on - not some fantasy version of your life, but the real, complicated, overwhelming, beautiful reality of what you're actually living.
What if your body isn't broken?
What if it's responding normally to circumstances that would challenge anyone?
What if you're already handling more than you even realize?
Next Week's Invitation - Session 2: "The GOOD Mom in My Head"
Next week, we're going to explore that voice in your head - you know, the one that has opinions about how you're doing as a mom? That voice might whisper or shout about all the ways you're not measuring up to some impossible standard of "good" motherhood.
What if we got curious about that voice instead of just believing everything it says?
What might happen when we stop trying to be the "perfect" mom and start being real instead?
In Your Journal This Week
These questions are just invitations, not assignments. Take what serves you and leave the rest:
Write for a few minutes: "Something I want to remember about how my body has been trying to help me is..."
This could be as simple as "my body is doing its best" or as specific as something you discovered about your particular waves today.
What might you tell a friend who found themselves in the same spot in the water?
How might you honor where you are this week instead of pushing through?
What's one small way you could be gentler with yourself?
