Life is loud.
Not just the noise you hear, but the constant pull on your attention. The needs. The notifications. The expectations. The silent pressure to keep going even when you’re running on empty. Somewhere in the middle of the chaos, many of us stop paying attention to the one person who is always there.
Ourselves.
Motherhood intensifies this in ways that are rarely spoken about honestly. It’s not just caring for children, it’s carrying the emotional load of a household, the mental lists that never switch off, the responsibility of being the “steady one” even when you feel anything but steady.
Days blur together.
You’re present physically, but mentally you’re often three steps ahead or ten steps behind wondering how you got here and when you last truly checked in with yourself.
And then there’s the digital world.
We live in an age where happiness is edited, filtered, and posted in brightly coloured thought provoking romancing little squares.
Smiling faces.
Matching outfits.
Perfect lighting.
Carefully chosen words that suggest ease, success, and fulfilment. Scroll long enough and it starts to feel like everyone else has figured life out, while you’re barely holding it together.
But what we don’t see is what’s outside the frame.
We don’t see the exhaustion behind the smile. The arguments that happened before the photo. The anxiety that sits quietly in the chest while someone types “grateful.” Social media doesn’t show the nights spent awake worrying, the moments of self-doubt, or the internal battles that come with raising humans while still trying to remember who you are.
The danger isn’t social media itself it’s what happens when we measure our inner world against someone else’s highlight reel. When we start to believe that struggle is a personal failure rather than a shared human experience.
Being in the moment isn’t about forcing positivity or pretending everything is okay. It’s about noticing “what is” without judgment.
It’s noticing the tightness in your shoulders and realizing you’ve been bracing all day.
It’s recognizing that you’re irritable not because you’re a bad parent, but because you’re overstimulated and under-supported.
It’s acknowledging grief, fatigue, or resentment without immediately trying to fix it or push it away.
For many mothers, being present feels almost impossible because presence requires space and space feels like a luxury. But presence doesn’t always mean silence or meditation or time alone. Sometimes it’s as simple as pausing long enough to ask yourself, how am I actually going right now?
Not the socially acceptable answer.
Not the “I’m fine.”
The real one.
Attention to the moment can look like letting yourself feel joy without reaching for your phone to capture it.
It can look like allowing yourself to cry without minimizing it.
It can look like choosing rest over productivity, even when the world tells you to hustle harder.
The truth is, many of us have learned to disconnect from ourselves as a survival strategy. When life is overwhelming, tuning out feels safer than tuning in. But over time, that disconnection comes at a cost. We lose touch with our needs, our limits, our bodies, and our inner voice.
And the body always keeps score.
Burnout doesn’t arrive suddenly it builds quietly while we ignore the signals. The fatigue, the irritability, the numbness. Being in the moment is often less about adding something new and more about listening to what’s already there.
Motherhood doesn’t require perfection.
It requires presence.
And presence starts with you.
Not the version of you that performs well online.
Not the version of you that holds everything together.
But the real and imperfect human you who deserves attention too.
So maybe the question isn’t “Am I doing enough?”
Maybe it’s “Am I paying attention?”
Because when you begin to notice yourself gently, honestly, without comparison you start to reclaim pieces of yourself that the chaos tried to steal. And in a world obsessed with appearances, choosing presence is a quiet, powerful act of rebellion.
You don’t need to escape your life to be in the moment.
You just need to come back to yourself.
Ways to Bring Your Attention Back to You
Coming back to yourself doesn’t require a complete life overhaul. It happens in small, intentional moments choices that gently redirect your attention inward instead of constantly outward.
Writing aids
Completing assignments if you study, journaling, notes app, writing short term goals and long term goals, voice memos. Just anything that lets your thoughts land somewhere safe. Writing isn’t about making sense, it’s about releasing what’s circling in your head.
Art and creative hobbies
Painting, sewing, crochet, photography, music, crafting and creating something with your hands reconnects you to your body and your inner world. Creativity doesn’t need to be productive or profitable to be valuable.
Changing your home around
Rearranging furniture, clearing a corner, clearing out your closet, rearranging photos for updated ones, adding warmth or light to areas that are dim. Our environments affect our nervous systems more than we realise.
Small changes can signal a fresh start.
Pay attention to your children and let them lead.
Follow their curiosity.
Sit on the floor.
Enter their world.
Children are naturally present, and being with them without multitasking can anchor you back into the moment.
Make a bucket list (big and small)
Not just “overseas travel,” but tiny dreams too. Sunrise coffees, learning a new skill, quiet weekends away.
Desire is a compass back to yourself.
Plan an adventure or trip away
Even if it’s local. Anticipation alone can reignite parts of you that have gone dormant.
Find (or rediscover) your interests
Who were you before responsibilities swallowed your time? What lights you up now? Interests change and that’s allowed.
Go into nature
The beach, riverside, forest, bush tracks. Nature regulates the nervous system and reminds you that you are part of something bigger and slower than the digital world.
Additional Ways to Reconnect With Yourself
Move your body intuitively
Stretching, slow walks, dancing in the kitchen. Movement doesn’t have to be intense to be healing—it just needs to feel kind.
Create tech-free pockets of time
Even 20 minutes without scrolling. Silence the noise so you can hear yourself again.
Practice saying no (without explaining)
Boundaries are a form of self attention and love.
Every no is a yes to your energy.
Reconnect with your body
Heat packs, baths, skincare rituals, breathing into tension. Attention to the body builds safety and awareness.
Listen instead of consume
Audiobooks, music that moves you, or simply sitting in quiet. Choose input that nourishes rather than overwhelms.
Name your emotions without fixing them
“I feel tired.” “I feel resentful.” “I feel sad.” Naming creates space, fixing can come later.
Connect with other women honestly if you can..
Conversations that go deeper than “I’m good.” Shared truth reduces isolation.
Rest without guilt
Rest is not earned – it’s required. Stillness is not laziness – it’s repair.
Seek meaning, not perfection
Purpose comes from alignment, not appearances. You don’t need a polished life to live a meaningful one.
Attention to yourself isn’t selfish it’s foundational. When a woman reconnects with herself, she doesn’t disappear from her life she shows up more grounded, more present, and more whole.
In a world pulling your focus in a thousand directions, choosing to notice you is a powerful act. And it’s one you can return to again and again whenever you feel lost in the noise.
Cassie x
Welcome Beautiful 