What It Means to Mother Yourself While Mothering

Mothering is immense. It asks everything of you — your body, your time, your emotions, your identity. It cracks you open in ways that are holy and humbling. But in all the energy we pour into caring for others, we often forget the one person who needs nurturing too: YOU.

This is where the important practice of mothering yourself comes in. Not as an abstract idea, not as a cute phrase — but as a living, breathing act of self-devotion.

What Does It Actually Mean to Mother Yourself?

To mother yourself is to tune into your own needs with the same tenderness, curiosity, and care that you instinctively offer your child. It means recognizing that you are still growing, too — and that you deserve to be nourished, comforted, and held in the same way you hold others. It’s permission to slow down. To say no. To feed your body what it’s really craving. To cry. To rest. To ask for help. To take up space.

Why It's So Hard (And So Needed)

Most of us were never taught how to care for ourselves in this way. We were taught to be good girls, good mothers, good partners — often at the expense of our own boundaries and wellbeing. We’re praised for being selfless, for juggling everything, for never dropping the ball.

But at what cost?

Unmothered mothers are burning out. Feeling resentful. Numb. Anxious. Disconnected. And underneath all that? A quiet guilt that they can’t “do it all” — when the truth is, we were never meant to. To mother yourself is not selfish. It’s how you stay rooted. It’s how you mother from wholeness, not depletion.

What It Can Look Like (In the Real World)

Mothering yourself doesn’t always mean bubble baths and spa days — although yes, please, when you can. It often looks more like:

• Feeding yourself a warm, grounding meal before everyone else’s plates are full

• Saying “no” to something that doesn’t feel aligned, even if it disappoints someone

• Lying down during nap time without guilt

• Putting your phone away and letting your nervous system exhale

• Journaling through the tears and mess instead of bottling it up

• Saying, “I need help,” and receiving it without shame

• Reminding yourself — out loud — that you are doing enough

The Ripple Effect

When you begin to mother yourself, something shifts. You stop chasing perfection. You soften into your own humanity. You begin modelling a new story — one where wholeness matters more than performance.

And your child sees this. They witness what it looks like to be a woman who honors her body, her boundaries, her worth. You teach them, not just through words, but through embodiment: This is what it looks like to live with self-respect, grace, and truth.

You Are Worthy of the Love You Give So Freely

Let this be your reminder: You are not just a vessel for others’ needs. You are a soul with needs of your own. And tending to them is not just allowed — it is necessary.

You are allowed to be soft. You are allowed to be held. You are allowed to come home to yourself — over and over again.

This is the heart of MoonMotherMuse. A space to remember your power. To rest in your own arms. To rise, not by force, but by nourishment and with love.