Motherhood is often painted as a joyful, fulfilling experience — and while it certainly can be, it’s also incredibly demanding on your body, your energy levels and your mental health. Between sleepless nights, invisible mental loads, constant care for others, and very little space for yourself, it’s no wonder so many mothers find themselves feeling burned out, depleted, or emotionally disconnected.

Burnout in motherhood doesn’t always look like collapse — sometimes it looks like running on autopilot, pushing through the motions, feeling numb, snapping at the people you love, or wondering where the “you” part of you has gone. That’s where somatic arts therapy can offer a powerful pathway home.

Although each mother’s journey is different, my consultations with mums each week continues to show me how essential it is for mums to have a space that’s just for them — a space where their needs are honoured without guilt. This kind of support isn’t a luxury; it’s the foundation of sustainable motherhood. Sadly, many mums only find their way here after carrying the weight alone for far too long. Wherever you are in this journey, keep in mind that therapy doesn’t have to be a last resort. The earlier you begin, the sooner you can feel more grounded, resourced, and connected — not just to others, but to yourself.

What Is Somatic Arts Therapy?

Somatic arts therapy is a style of counselling that honours our mind-body connection. The polyvagal-based, creative therapeutic approach gently supports emotional healing and awareness of self through co-regulation, breath, embodied-awareness, visual arts, and creative expression. It invites your whole self — not just your thoughts — into the healing process.

It’s not about being “good at art”, in fact, sometimes we don’t use visual arts at all. It’s about using different creative processes to connect with your left and right brain, co-creating a nourishing space to reconnect with safety, your body, your emotions, and your deeper needs.

How Somatic Arts Therapy Helps With Burnout and Motherhood Overwhelm

It Reconnects You With Your Body

When you’re constantly in go-mode, your body can feel like a stranger — tense, tired, or just not "online." Somatic arts therapy helps you gently come back to your body, notice where you're holding stress or emotion, and begin releasing it with compassion. My clients will often comment that they feel the tension in their muscles easing or pain releasing.

It Creates a Pause

Motherhood rarely offers stillness. In session, time slows down. You get to be with you — not in your role as a mother, partner, or the one holding everything together — just your full, human self. This pause allows your nervous system to come back down, and your energy to begin refilling. The gentle and easy pace helps you to recalibrate and get used to being in your rest and digest - parasympathetic - state.

It Makes Space for Emotions

Instead of bottling up frustration, sadness, guilt, or resentment (which can add to burnout), creative expression offers a safe outlet. You can paint, scribble, move, or breathe your feelings through — no judgment, no expectations. Remember, emotions are energy-in-motion. If we don’t have time for them, we’re holding them down and they don’t have any space for movement and release. Therapy sessions offer you a container to release some stress from the week and get things off your chest so you’re not holding it all so tightly.

It Restores a Sense of You

Many mothers speak of feeling lost — like they’ve disappeared under all the roles they’re juggling. Somatic arts therapy helps you reconnect with your identity, desires, and voice. It’s not just self-care — it’s a return to self. Make meaning from your experiences, reconnect with your values and needs, and create a vision for how you want to move forward in the world intentionally.

It Supports Nervous System Regulation

Through grounding, sensory engagement, and co-regulation with a supportive therapist, this work helps shift you from survival mode into a state of rest, creativity, and healing. In sessions with me, you will learn deeply grounding and highly effective self-regulation tools that help you to fill your cup again. These deeply restorative practices will help you to find clarity of mind, and experience more connection with joy and your loved ones.

You Deserve Support That Sees the Whole You

You are more than a caretaker. You’re a whole person — with emotions, dreams, limits, and needs. Somatic arts therapy honours every part of you and offers tools for coming back into balance, even when life feels messy or overwhelming.

Get out of survival mode and stop running on empty. You don’t have to wait until things are falling apart and you feel completely depleted before reaching out. In our sessions, I’ll meet you where you are now and support you to restore balance and rebuild your emotional resilience. You don’t have to carry it all alone any longer.

If you’re feeling the weight of motherhood and burnout, I see you. And I’d love to support you with gentle, evidence-informed, body-based care. Start the journey back to health and wellbeing with compassionate support by your side.

Book your free discovery call today!

BOOK A CALL WITH ASH

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