It’s easy to lose ourselves in the daily juggle of caregiving. To feel there just isn’t enough time in the day. Certainly, no time to slow down, check in with ourselves and take a look at what we are doing and how we are being.

When I was a young mother of three, though content being a mother, I noticed an increasing anxiety as they grew up. Taking care of others felt like being on call, on guard all the time. As a result, I became overwhelmed, unaware of my own needs, and disconnected from myself.

Years later, when our children were young adults, it was a jolt to realise just how far away I had wandered from my core being, the essence of who I was. In many ways I had abandoned the part of me that was a person in addition to being a caretaker.

Meditation and mindfulness practices offer a path back. Bringing us home to ourselves and offering tools for working with difficult situations and overwhelming emotions instead of ignoring or subduing them.

With gentle and consistent practice, we learn how to slow down the spin cycle of emotions like anxiety and return to the moment we are actually experiencing. By pausing and taking a look at what we are doing and how we are being, we reconnect with our basic ability to just operate in the moment rather than be swept away by it. We will still experience difficult emotions, but we can tune into a space where we feel more grounded, can take a few breaths, and respond in more helpful ways.