Coming Home to Ourselves

Mascari, Brooke - April 8th, 2025

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to measure our worth by how much we could do. How productive we could be. How well we could juggle it all; work, family, health, relationships, expectations, the never-ending to-do list. We wake up already running, already bracing ourselves for the day ahead, as if our bodies are machines and our minds are just tools to get us through. Living on caffeine to fuel our bodies and make sure we do enough to feel like we matter.

And for so many women, this pressure to perform is magnified. We're taught to meet everyone else's needs, to be strong, to look put together, to do it all without breaking down. We're taught to silence the whispers of our bodies, fatigue, anxiety, bloating, irritability, and pain because there's just no time for that. But those whispers? They're sacred messages! They are not inconveniences. They are communication.

Your body isn’t betraying you.
Your hormones aren’t trying to make your life harder.
Your mind isn’t weak for feeling overwhelmed.

They’re speaking to you…
Are you listening?

The Art of Listening In

Honoring your body and mind begins with pausing. It’s in that sacred pause that you begin to hear the language of your own inner world again. The subtle cues of your body, the tone of your thoughts, the rhythm of your breath. This pause is not laziness. It’s not weakness. It’s wisdom.

Here are a few ways to begin coming home to yourself; body, mind, and spirit.

Start With Stillness

Before reaching for your phone, opening your calendar, or jumping into your day, take five slow breaths. Place your hand on your heart or belly. Ask, “How am I really feeling right now?”

This small act tells your body: You matter. I’m listening.
It tells your nervous system: You are safe to slow down.

Track Your Energy, Not Just Your To-Do List

Instead of measuring your day by how much you accomplished, ask:

• When did I feel most energized today?

• When did I feel drained or agitated?

• What was my body trying to tell me in those moments?

When you start observing your energy like this, you’ll see patterns emerge. Hormonal cycles, emotional cycles, rhythms that are natural, not flaws! This awareness allows you to align your lifestyle with your biology, not fight against it.

Feed Yourself Like You’re Someone You Love (or someone you’re responsible to care for)

Eating isn't just about fuel, it's about nourishment. Food is meant to be our medicine. When we eat on the go, skip meals, or choose quick fixes that spike our blood sugar and crash our mood, we tell our bodies: You’re not worth the time.

But what if you chose foods that whispered love to your cells?
What if you made meals that supported your hormones, your digestion, and your mood; and ate them slowly, as an act of reverence?

That’s not indulgence. That’s care.

Reclaim Rest as Productive

Rest is not something you earn. It’s something you require.
Your nervous system heals in stillness. Your hormones regulate in sleep. Your mind resets in quiet.

Give yourself permission to:

• Take a nap without guilt.

• Say no without over-explaining.

• End your day before everything’s done.

Rest is where your healing lives. Your body isn’t asking for less of you—it’s asking for more of you.

Speak to Yourself Like You Would to a Beloved Friend

Your body hears every thought you think. Your mind absorbs every word you speak to yourself.

When you’re exhausted, don’t push harder, soothe yourself.
When you’re bloated or inflamed, don’t shame your body, ask it what it needs.
When you’re anxious or heavy-hearted, don’t “toughen up,” tune in.

You are not weak for needing rest, space, food, joy, or softness. You are human. You are sacred.

A Gentle Invitation

Let today be the day you start listening.

Not just to the world’s expectations of you, but to your own internal wisdom.
Not just to the loud voices of urgency, but to the quiet nudges of your heart.
Not just to the tasks that need doing, but to the healing that needs tending.

Your body is not an obstacle to overcome. It’s your greatest ally.
Your mind is not a battlefield. It’s a landscape to be understood.
And your worth? It was never tied to your productivity. It was always inherent.

So pause. Breathe. Listen in.
Your body is speaking.

And she is ready to be loved and honored!