"Like so many other moms, I put so much pressure on myself. That if I'm not actively striving, I'm somehow failing. Because we wear so many hats: The wife hat. The mom hat. The employee hat. The boss hat. The friend hat. The daughter hat. Never mind the daily news cycle, the state of the world, and the quiet panic of raising decent humans right now - of constantly hoping and whispering to them "Please don't be a sociopath.""
"This is usually where I enter freeze mode and briefly assume the fetal position. And the voices. There are so many voices telling us how to live. How to optimize or how to unlock our highest selves. They come with millions of followers and perfectly curated feeds. Wake up earlier; do more; lift heavier; do better, they say. Hustle, but make it mindful. Rest, but make it productive."
"So this year, I've made a promise to myself that my goals will be quieter, and honestly, more radical. This year I want less action, not more. I want to move at a pace my nervous system recognizes as safe. I want fewer commitments and deeper presence. Less friendships and dates on the social calendar but more depth and true community. I want to let go of the thought patterns in my brain that are always searching how to improve and to fix."
Goal-setting and ambition are natural, but desire to achieve can become heavy and burdensome when tied to worthiness. Many parents, especially mothers, experience intense pressure from juggling multiple roles and the broader anxieties of the world, creating freeze responses and chronic striving. Cultural voices push optimization, productivity, and curated success, turning life into an endless marathon fueled by scarcity. A shift toward quieter, radical goals emphasizes less action, nervous-system-safe pacing, fewer commitments, deeper presence, authentic community, and letting go of compulsive improvement. Rest should function as genuine rest rather than another productivity metric.
Read at Scary Mommy
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