Motherhood is beautiful. But let’s be honest it’s also exhausting and identity-consuming. You go from being someone with hobbies, goals, and a skincare routine to a human napkin, snack-fetcher, and crisis manager. Somewhere between diaper changes and school pickups, you whisper to yourself, “Who even am I anymore?” “Am I even doing things right?”
Trust me, as mother we all have been there. A few years ago, I was a newly divorced single mom, embracing single motherhood after motherhood and heartbreak in one messy big bowl of emotional soup. I left everything behind and moved to the UK for my second master’s degree. I was chasing more than a degree as I was searching for myself, rebuilding myself.
If you feel lost in motherhood, you are not broken. You are evolving. And I want to share 7 simple yet soul-deep ways that helped me reconnect with myself and might just help you too 🙂
7 Ways to Reconnect with Your Inner Self
1. Create a “You-Only” Morning Ritual
Before the day grabs you by the hair (literally or figuratively), carve out 10–15 minutes just for you. It could be as simple as sipping chai/coffee without anyone screaming “Maaa!”, journaling, or five minutes of silence with your breath.
Pro Tip: I used to write one line a day and say it loud “You got this” It sounds small, but it became my anchor.
2. Name Your Feelings Out Loud
Yes, actually say it. “I feel invisible.” “I feel drained.” It’s powerful. Naming emotions helps your brain process them. According to research by UCLA neuroscientist Dr. Matthew Lieberman, naming feelings reduces the amygdala’s stress response aka, it calms your chaos brain.
And no, talking to yourself doesn’t make you weird. It makes you wise. Or at least fun at parties.
3. Schedule a Weekly Sanity Date with Yourself
You schedule doctor visits and parent-teacher meetings. Why not schedule one non-negotiable hour every week just for you?
Ideas:
- Attend a mindful breathing session with me (priyanka@sanitydaily.com)
- Sit at a cafe with a book or a journal or just sit with your thoughts
- Take a long walk listening to your own playlist, songs you love.
This was my game-changer. I started a ritual called “Solo Sundays.” Even if it meant hiding in the bathroom with a scented candle and my favorite podcast, it mattered.
4. Declutter Your Guilt Drawer
Mum guilt is real and relentless regardless if you’re co-parenting, working, or just breathing. Write a list of all the things you feel guilty for. Then, beside each one, write: “Doing my best.” Because you are. Even when your best looks like surviving on toast crusts and dry shampoo. Girl, you are doing it all.
5. Start a Journal but Make It Unfiltered
Not the Pinterest kind, you don’t have to share it with anyone. The real, messy, typo-ridden journal where you write about how you feel like you’re failing and want to scream into a pillow. Your journal doesn’t need to be pretty. It needs to be honest.
Say it loud – I don’t need to be perfect, I just need to show up for yourself.
6. Rediscover One Thing That Was Yours
What did you love before motherhood? Painting? Dancing? Baking banana bread that nobody eats but everyone smells?
Pick one thing. Do it again. Even if you’re rusty. Even if you feel silly. That act alone whispers to your soul, “I remember you.”
7. Say No Without Apologising
This might be the hardest and most healing thing you do. You don’t owe the PTA, the neighbour’s dog, or even your own inner critic every ounce of you.
Saying “No” isn’t rejection. It’s protection, it is about putting healthy boundaries.
You’re Still in There and Doing Your Best
You haven’t disappeared. You’ve just been buried under love, responsibility, and unmatched socks.
Reconnecting with yourself isn’t about becoming who you were before motherhood it’s about meeting the new version of you. The wiser, stronger, funnier (yes, really) version who’s still got it even if “it” is hiding behind a Lego pile.
💌 Ready to Reconnect?
Book a 30 minute Sanity Call with me and reclaim you inner voice – email me 👉 priyanka@sanitydaily.com
