Tag: writing

Life Transitions: Finding Peace Amidst Chaos

by Mothersense, posted in This Life

MIA, But Not Gone

I know I’ve been MIA.

Sometimes, life demands that we step back—not just from work or social media—but from everything. I had to hit pause. I had to give myself permission to simply be.

Over the past few months, I’ve been dealing with some health issues that forced me to reassess my routines and my life in a real, deep way. It wasn’t as easy as just adding a new pill to my morning or nighttime regimen and calling it a day. These were foundational shifts. Things had to change—mentally, physically, emotionally.

I had to move more. I had to get better at managing my stress. And I don’t mean just more yoga, more meditation, or another breathing exercise. I mean truly facing some things I’ve carried for a long time. Things that made me feel angry, sad, and raw. Grief came back around—like it always does—and knocked the wind out of me when I least expected it.

So I’ve been sitting with my feelings. Letting them breathe. Giving them space instead of stuffing them down like I’ve done so many times before. I’ve had to re-center. To literally touch grass. I know it sounds cliché, but there was something healing about standing barefoot in the yard, letting the sun warm my skin and the earth hold me up.

All this while life keeps moving forward at full speed.

My youngest son is heading into his sophomore year of high school—talking about getting a job, becoming more independent, stepping into the world in new ways. And my oldest daughter… she’s getting married. Married. There’s so much to be proud of, so much to be pleased about—but also this deep ache. Because they’re not babies anymore.

They will always be my babies. But we’re not in that chapter anymore. And letting go of those earlier seasons, even while embracing the beauty of what’s now, has been its own kind of mourning.

It’s a strange, tender time. A phase of life where things are shifting—again. We’re growing. We’re changing. And while I know, deep down, that this next chapter is going to be beautiful—it’s also really messy. It’s hard. It’s uncertain. And sometimes it’s just plain exhausting.

But here’s what I do know: I’ve survived 100% of the days I thought would break me. And I’m still here. We’re still here. Finding our footing. Creating new routines. Learning how to breathe deeply again.

So if you’re in the thick of it too—whatever your “it” looks like—just know that you’re not alone. Healing isn’t linear. Growth isn’t neat. And the hard days don’t last forever.

We’re adjusting. And it’s going to be okay. Maybe even more than okay.

We’re making something beautiful.

Mess and all.

Making Lemons to Lemonade: Pausing to Heal

by Mothersense, posted in This Life

When Life Gives You Lemons

Life has really been topsy-turvy over the last few years. Every single time I feel like I’ve got things together and they’re finally smoothing out—BAM! Something happens. Something shifts. The rug gets pulled out from under me and I’m left to figure out how to adapt all over again.

Sometimes it’s something small, like needing to start blood pressure medicine. Other times, it’s devastating, like the loss of a parent. Either way, it changes the way we move through life. I say “we,” but really, I mean me. These experiences shape how I think, how I react, and how I heal.

Over the past few years, I’ve gained and lost a lot—people, routines, habits, hopes. But right now, I want to focus on what I’ve gained. I need to. Because if I dwell too long on the losses, I risk sinking into a deep ocean of grief. So instead, I choose to lean into growth. I’m learning to be still. To listen. Not just to the noise around me, but to the quiet wisdom inside my body and my instincts.

When You Slip (And You Will), Here’s How to Get Back on Track

Let’s be honest—knowing what’s good for you doesn’t always mean you’ll do it. I have the knowledge. I know how to eat well, sleep better, stretch, breathe, reflect, reset. But in those moments when the world feels heavy and nothing makes sense, the old habits come back like they never left.

Maybe I skip meals or reach for all the wrong ones. I forget to drink water. I stay up too late scrolling. I miss my yoga. My meditation mat gathers dust. And then come the consequences: brain fog, body aches, mood swings, a constant feeling of being off.

Here’s what I’ve learned, though:

  • Start small. Don’t try to overhaul your life overnight. Pick one thing. Just one. Maybe it’s drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning. Maybe it’s five minutes of quiet breathing before bed. Just start.
  • Don’t punish yourself. Guilt is not a motivator; it’s an anchor. Instead of beating yourself up, offer yourself some grace. Say, “Okay, I missed today. Tomorrow is a fresh start.”
  • Set visual cues. Put your yoga mat where you can see it. Leave sticky notes with affirmations on your mirror. Set reminders in your phone to pause and breathe.
  • Talk about it. Whether with a friend, a therapist, or a journal—say it out loud. When you name the struggle, it loses some of its power.

How to Make Lemonade When Life Gives You Lemons

The truth is, life will give you lemons. Sometimes by the bucketload. But those lemons? They don’t have to rot. They can be squeezed into something meaningful, something new. Here’s how I’m learning to turn sour moments into sweet progress:

  • Shift the perspective. Instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me?” try, “What is this trying to teach me?” Every challenge is an invitation to evolve.
  • Create something. Pain and frustration are powerful fuel for creativity. Write, paint, build, sing, garden—channel that energy somewhere healing.
  • Help someone else. When you’re struggling, reach out to someone else who is too. Kindness multiplies, and it gives your pain purpose.
  • Celebrate the smallest wins. Got out of bed today? Win. Drank water instead of soda? Win. Laughed, even once? That’s a huge win.

Final Thoughts

Life’s chaos won’t stop. There will always be something unexpected around the corner. But the way I meet those moments? That’s up to me. I’m learning—slowly, imperfectly—to meet them with softness, with self-awareness, and with hope. Even when I slip, even when it’s hard, I keep reminding myself:

I can begin again.

And again.

And again.

Because when life gives me lemons, I won’t just make lemonade.

I’ll build the whole stand.

Simple Steps to Cope When Life Becomes a Disaster

by Mothersense, posted in Mental Health Recovery, Reclamation, This Life

When Your Life Is a Shitstorm: How to Pull Yourself Back from the Edge

You’re doomscrolling again. Your thumb moves, the screen refreshes, and more bad news floods in. It’s easier than thinking about your own life because, let’s face it, your life is a mess right now. Maybe it’s a slow, painful unraveling, or maybe everything collapsed at once. Either way, you’re here, trying to escape into the abyss of the internet, trying to feel something or nothing or anything other than what you are feeling right now.

First things first: Stop.

Not everything. Not forever. Just pause for a moment. Put the phone down, even if it’s just for a few seconds. You don’t have to fix everything right now. You don’t even have to do anything right now. But you do have to breathe. Not the automatic, shallow breathing that keeps you technically alive, but the kind where you take control of your own body again.

Breathe Like You Mean It

Breathe in deeply, slowly, deliberately. Feel the air fill your lungs. Hold it for a moment, then let it out. Do it again. And again. Because when everything feels out of control, this is the one thing you can control. You can’t change the past, you can’t predict the future, and you can’t force other people to act the way you want them to. But you can breathe, right now, in this moment.

Eat Something. No, Really.

Have you eaten today? No, coffee doesn’t count. Neither does the handful of crackers you barely noticed shoving into your mouth. Eat something real. It doesn’t have to be healthy. It just has to be food. A sandwich, a bowl of cereal, some fruit, even a damn granola bar—just something with actual calories and nutrients. When life is a wreck, basic self-care falls by the wayside, and eating is one of the first things to go. But you need fuel. You wouldn’t expect a car to run on an empty tank, so why are you expecting your body and mind to function when you haven’t given them anything to work with?

Drink Some Water. Yes, Right Now.

Dehydration sneaks up on you. It makes you foggy, sluggish, and more irritable. It messes with your mood and your ability to think clearly. And when you’re in crisis mode, drinking enough water is often the last thing on your mind. Grab a glass, a bottle, anything. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be lemon-infused or electrolyte-enhanced. Just drink.

Be Still.

This one is hard. We live in a world that screams at us to always be doing something, fixing something, achieving something. But when everything is a disaster, sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing. Be still. Let your body settle, let your mind settle. Give yourself permission to not have the answers, to not have a plan, to not know what comes next. Sometimes, the storm has to pass before you can even see the ground beneath your feet again.

Being still doesn’t mean you’re giving up. It means you’re letting your nervous system catch up, allowing your emotions to level out so that when you do move forward, you’re doing so with a clearer head and steadier hands.

You Are Still Here.

Life is not always fair. It is not always kind. Sometimes, it throws things at you that you never asked for and don’t deserve. But you are still here. And as long as you are here, you have choices. Maybe not the ones you wish you had, maybe not the ones that make everything magically better, but some choices.

Start with the small ones. The ones that remind you that you are, in fact, still in control of something. Breathe. Eat. Drink. Be still. And when you’re ready, take the next step. One moment, one breath, one tiny act of care at a time.

You’ve survived 100% of your worst days so far. You can survive this one too.

One of Those Days: Tips to Handle Life’s Challenges

by Mothersense, posted in This Life

One of Those Mornings: When Everything Goes Wrong and It Just Hurts

We all have them—those mornings where nothing seems to go right, where life seems to pile up problem after problem before we’ve even had a sip of coffee. You wake up feeling just as awful as you did when you went to bed, and as the day begins to unfold, you start to wonder if the universe is testing you. Today is one of those days for me.

I woke up hurting. Not just a little ache here and there, but full-body pain—the kind that makes you question everything. Is it perimenopause creeping in? Arthritis? The remnants of a cold or even COVID? Who knows, but all I know is that I hurt. It’s one thing to wake up a little stiff, but this? This is a deep, unrelenting soreness that makes every movement feel like a struggle. I rolled out of bed hoping a hot shower might help, but little did I know what awaited me.

As I trudged through the house, trying to shake off the grogginess, I discovered yet another unwelcome surprise: a leak in the kids’ bathroom shower. And not just a little drip-drip situation—oh no, the copper pipe had split at a joint. The kind of plumbing disaster that instantly sends your heart racing, your brain spiraling through mental checklists of what to do next, and your wallet weeping before you’ve even picked up the phone to call a plumber.

And because, of course, bad things come in clusters, my son isn’t feeling great after his EGD and colonoscopy. The good news is that he’s not throwing up daily anymore, which is a huge relief, but he’s still not himself. I know it’ll take time for his body to heal, for things to regulate, for him to start feeling like himself again. But as a mother, waiting for that improvement is agonizing. We want to fix, to heal, to make things better instantly. Watching him go through discomfort, exhaustion, and lingering symptoms makes me feel powerless.

So, yeah. What a morning!

The Emotional Weight of “One of Those Days”

Mornings like these make you wonder how much a person can take. It’s like standing in the ocean during a storm, trying to brace yourself against wave after wave, just praying for a moment to catch your breath. But when everything hurts—physically, emotionally, and mentally—catching your breath feels impossible.

If you’ve ever had a day like this, you know what I mean. The kind of day where you start questioning if Mercury is in retrograde (again), if the full moon is messing with the energy of the universe, or if you somehow unknowingly offended the plumbing gods. The kind of day where you feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, and all you want to do is crawl back into bed and try again tomorrow.

But life doesn’t work that way.

The shower still leaks, my son still needs care, my body still aches, and the world keeps spinning whether I feel up to it or not. So what do we do on these days? How do we keep going when everything feels heavy?

Everything Is Figure-Outable

One of my favorite mantras is, everything is figure-outable. It’s a reminder that even in the midst of chaos, there are solutions. The leak? It’s annoying, frustrating, and expensive, but it’s fixable. My body’s aches and pains? They may not have an immediate answer, but I can take steps toward finding out what’s going on. My son’s recovery? It’s a process, but healing is happening, even if it’s slower than I’d like.

When life throws these curveballs, it’s easy to spiral into frustration and despair. It’s tempting to sit in that space of “Why me? Why today?” And honestly, sometimes you just need to feel that frustration for a bit. But once you’ve allowed yourself that moment, you have to remind yourself that you’ve handled tough days before, and you’ll handle this one too.

Just Keep Swimming

Dory from Finding Nemo had it right—just keep swimming. Some days, that’s all we can do. Even when our bodies hurt, even when the to-do list feels insurmountable, even when we’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and ready to throw in the towel. One step at a time, one breath at a time, one small victory at a time.

On days like today, the victories might look different. Maybe the win is simply making that plumber appointment. Maybe it’s drinking an extra glass of water. Maybe it’s letting yourself rest without guilt. Maybe it’s calling a friend and venting for a bit. Whatever it is, no matter how small, it’s a step forward.

Finding Light in the Chaos

Even in the worst mornings, there’s always something to be grateful for. Today, I’m grateful that my son is showing some improvement, even if it’s slow. I’m grateful that I have the knowledge and resources to handle this plumbing mess. I’m grateful for a body that, while aching, still allows me to move, to get things done, to be present.

When everything feels overwhelming, gratitude is the anchor that keeps us grounded. It doesn’t erase the problems, but it shifts the focus, even if just for a moment. And sometimes, a moment is all we need to reset, to breathe, to remind ourselves that this day will pass, just like every other tough day we’ve faced before.

A Reminder to Be Kind to Yourself

If you’re having one of these mornings, I see you. I feel you. And I want to remind you to be kind to yourself. It’s okay if today isn’t productive. It’s okay if you need extra rest. It’s okay if all you accomplish is making it through the day. Some days are about thriving, but others are just about surviving—and both are okay.

So, to anyone else out there who’s having one of those mornings, let’s take a deep breath together. Let’s remind ourselves that we are strong, resilient, and capable. Let’s find a little light in the mess, a little humor in the madness, and a little grace for ourselves in the struggle.

Love and light, y’all. Keep going. Everything is figure-outable, and just keep swimming.

Finding Calm When Feeling Stuck

by Mothersense, posted in This Life

What can you do when you feel helpless? Maybe your job search is dragging out and you feel like it’s never-ending, maybe your kid is sick and you don’t have answers to why, maybe things are rough in a friendship, family, or marriage and you have done every possible thing you know to do….what can you do next? What will be helpful?

It can be hard to feel helpless. To have to be still and wait for answers or just waiting at all can take so much energy. When things feel out of your control, and you’ve already tried everything you can think of, it’s easy to feel stuck, like there’s no next step. But there are ways to move forward, even if they’re small steps.

I do want to say I think it’s key to acknowledge that it’s okay to not have all the answers or to feel like you’ve reached a limit. Feeling helpless is a very human experience, and being kind to yourself during that time is huge. When you’re in a tough spot, here are some things that might help:

  1. Take a Break and Breathe: Sometimes, when we’re so deep in the weeds of a difficult situation, we forget to step back and take a breather. It doesn’t mean ignoring the issue, but giving yourself a moment of mental clarity to recharge. Simple practices like deep breathing, meditation, or even taking a walk can reset your nervous system and give you a fresh perspective.
  2. Talk to Someone You Trust: Whether it’s a friend, family member, or a therapist, sharing how you’re feeling can be a huge relief. Sometimes just verbalizing the weight of everything you’re carrying can make it feel lighter. You don’t need someone to have all the answers – you just need someone who will listen. And sometimes maybe you just talk to yourself. Yup. I said it, talk to yourself, sometimes saying things out loud helps you to feel better about the in between, the waiting, the PAUSE if you will. 
  3. Let Go of What’s Beyond Your Control: It’s difficult, but part of feeling helpless comes from trying to control everything. If you’ve done everything you can and you’re still not seeing results, sometimes the best thing you can do is surrender a bit. Trust that things will work out in their own time. It’s not giving up – it’s giving yourself permission to stop shouldering the weight of things you can’t fix right now.
  4. Focus on Small Wins: If the big picture feels overwhelming, try to break things down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Is there one small action you can take today to improve your situation, even just a little? Maybe that’s applying for one more job, researching new treatment options for your child, or reaching out to a friend to have a real conversation about what’s going on.
  5. Seek New Resources or Perspectives: Sometimes we can feel stuck because we’re too close to a problem, or we’ve exhausted the usual ways of looking at it. Maybe it’s time to seek out a new perspective – whether that’s reading a book on personal growth, talking to a mentor, or exploring new treatment options or support groups for your situation.
  6. Practice Patience and Self-Compassion: Growth or healing isn’t always linear. Sometimes things get worse before they get better, and that’s hard to deal with when you’re in the middle of it. Being gentle with yourself during these moments and remembering that things won’t always feel like this can help maintain hope.