When we think of “wellness,” we usually picture nutrition, exercise, or maybe supplements and self care routines. And while all of that matters, I’ve realized there’s a piece that often gets overlooked—mental wellness.
Because the truth is you can eat all the right foods, take all the right supplements, and still feel anxious, restless, or disconnected if you’re constantly living under pressure. As moms, that mental weight takes a toll on our bodies. Stress hormones spike, digestion slows, energy crashes, and suddenly wellness doesn’t feel so well anymore.
That’s why I want to share something that has changed everything for me in motherhood: less pressure, more presence.
With my older kids, I used to spiral into overwhelm all the time. I had a constant running to do list, resting felt impossible, and the harder I pushed myself, the more paralyzed I became. But in recent years, I made a shift. I started choosing presence over pressure and with it came peace, energy, and a deeper sense of joy than I ever expected.
And the wild part is I actually get more done now. Probably because I’m no longer wasting energy fighting anxiety all day.
So if you’re a mom who feels like your brain is running 100 miles an hour with never ending to dos, you struggle to rest because you’re always thinking about what still needs to be done, you find yourself more anxious than present, or you’re simply tired of surviving and want to actually enjoy this season…
Then these 10 simple shifts might be exactly what you need to bring more peace, presence, and wellness into your days.
1. Brain Dump, Then Be Free
Instead of carrying the mental load of “don’t forget this, don’t forget that,” I write it all down once a day. I bought a white board so I can do this daily and erase it when it’s done. Once it’s written out, my brain can relax.
Mental clutter = stress hormones. A clear mind signals safety to your body.
2. 3 Must Do’s, Not 30
I pick 3 priorities for the day. If those get done, everything else is overflow. It keeps me from living in constant disappointment.
Less decision fatigue = more energy for what really matters.
3. Power Hour, Then Permission to Rest
I set aside one block of time to focus and knock things out. Sometimes it’s one hour before the kids get home from school or one hour right before bed, whatever works that day. I know what needs done thanks to my brain dump + top 3 priorities. I set everything else aside and focus on only those things. After that, I don’t let my whole day be ruled by tasks.
Single tasking calms the nervous system compared to scattered multitasking.
4. Micro Pauses
Ten seconds to breathe, snuggle the baby, smell some oils or close my eyes. It resets my body faster than pushing through.
Micro pauses regulate cortisol and support hormone balance. The more you practice this, the more calm you can infuse into your day.
5. Anchors, Not Rigid Schedules
Instead of strict schedules, I live by rhythms: morning anchors, evening anchors. It’s flexible but steady. For me, morning anchors look like hydration (mineral essence, Ningxia, water), sunlight (even if it’s just opening the curtains!!) and taking my supplements. At night, I anchor my day with a kitchen reset, writing down tomorrow’s must dos, and winding down with oils and magnesium.
Flexible structure reduces stress while still keeping you grounded.
6. Presence Cues
When my baby coos or my kids laugh (or even yell “mom!”), I take it as a cue to come back into the moment instead of rushing through it. Think of it as shifting something that would normally interrupt you or trigger stress into something that reminds you to slow down and breathe!
Cues retrain your nervous system to see joy in ordinary moments.
7. Gratitude in Real Time
When the chaos rises, I name one thing I’m grateful for out loud. It shifts everything. Just this morning my toddler was climbing the fridge looking for food and I was feeding the baby and couldn’t get up. Instead of getting upset, I paused and took a deep breath and said out loud “I love the sound of your little feet running across the floor”. It shifts what could be a stressful moment into being grateful for the present moment.
Gratitude lowers stress hormones and boosts immunity.
8. Permission Slips
I literally say: “It’s okay if the house is messy. It’s okay if dinner is simple. It’s okay to just be here.” These simple phrases retrain my brain and keep it from spiralling about what I *should* be doing or what *could* be better.
Releasing guilt protects mental health and mental health is physical health.
9. Shift “I Have To” → “I Get To”
“I have to make dinner” → “I get to nourish my family.” That one word changes my posture. Sometimes we forget how much power our words have over us. This is your reminder to consciously monitor your thoughts and words throughout the day and keep them positive and uplifting.
Language rewires stress responses in the brain.
10. Done for Today Ritual
At night, I close out the day by writing tomorrow’s to dos, diffusing oils, and turning on the red lights. It tells my brain: you’re safe to rest now. If you’re a mom that has a sleep cue routine for your kids but not for yourself, here’s your sign that we need them too!
Rituals signal to the body to move from stress mode into repair + recovery.
Final thoughts:
Motherhood will always come with chaos, but the way we meet it changes everything. By choosing presence over pressure, I’ve not only found more peace, I’ve found more energy, more joy, and more wellness than I thought possible.
Motherhood will always come with chaos, but the way we meet it changes everything. By choosing presence over pressure, I’ve not only found more peace, I’ve found more energy, more joy, and more wellness than I thought possible.
And don’t get me wrong, I still love a good to do list and a productive power hour. I’ve just stopped letting them define my worth. I’ve trained my brain to trust: it’ll all get done when it gets done.
If you’re in the thick of it, this is your reminder that you don’t have to do it all to be well. You just have to be here.
Share below in the comments what you are going to try first!!
Share below in the comments what you are going to try first!!
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Rhonda Richter
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