10: You're Doing Better Than You Think, Mama — A Mother's Day Message for the Overwhelmed Mom

This one is a little different. No decluttering tips. No to-do list. Just a heartfelt Mother's Day message for every mom who is doing so much more than she gives herself credit for.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why Mother's Day somehow always lands during the most chaotic week of the school year
• The end-of-year overwhelm that so many of us are feeling right now — and why you're not alone in it
• Why rest is not failure and checking out for a minute doesn't make you a bad mom
• The tension of big milestone seasons — when everything feels fast and slow all at the same time
• Why the real, honest conversations we're having with each other matter more than we realize
• What it actually means to show up — imperfectly, repeatedly, and with so much love
• A special moment for the moms who have a complicated relationship with Mother's Day — you are seen here too

High fives all around, mama. You are doing better than you think. :)

If this episode resonated with you and you’re ready to take the next step, grab the One Space Reset Kit. It’s a short guided reset to help you clear one space at a time — whether that’s a space in your home or one of the open loops we talked about today.

→ Grab the One Space Reset Kit here!

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Connect with Jackie:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/makingthespacewithjackie
• Email: hello@jackiepicchi.com

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This podcast is for educational and coaching purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, medical, or mental health care.

Transcript

0:00

can we just talk about the fact that Mother's Day falls during what might be the single most chaotic week of the entire school year? We just came off of Teacher Appreciation Week this week, which by the way, I love, but also it's just a whole thing. There's graduations, end of year parties, class celebrations, permission slips that need to go back, volunteer signups, and somewhere in the middle of all of that, someone decided that this is the perfect time to celebrate moms. Who approved the calendar? Who decided that Mother's Day is going to happen during the busiest time of the school year? Welcome back to Making the Space Monday. I'm Jackie, a values-based decluttering coach, and I love helping overwhelmed moms make space for what matters most. And around here, that means making space in your home, your head, and your life So today, guys, we're doing something a little differently. I'm actually recording this on an early Saturday morning, still in my pajamas. I'm enjoying a hot cup of coffee out of one of my favorite mugs, and I woke up this morning, and I was thinking about Mother's Day weekend and coming off of such a busy week, and honestly, it hasn't even just been a busy week. It's been a really busy season. And I was just reflecting on the role of mothers and all of the responsibilities that we carry, how much love we have in our hearts, how much space we wanna make in our lives, and sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough, right? So if you're listening to this and you're exhausted, you are not alone. I have been feeling pretty exhausted myself lately. This is just a season where everything is happening all at one time, and the calendar, it just doesn't let up,? And the funny thing about Mother's Day landing right here is that most of us, we're too tired to even enjoy it, we are running on fumes. We've got 17 tabs open in our brain, and someone is going to hand us a card and flowers, and we're gonna smile and mean it, but we're also thinking about everything that we still need to get done. This is the reality, and I think it's worth saying out loud. Sometimes when we feel this depleted, the most human response is just to check out for a minute. I know that I've been doing this a little bit more lately just because of the overwhelm and exhaustion of all the things. That might look like scrolling or zoning out. We just sit in the quiet and not always present, and we don't need to apologize for it. And I want you to hear this. It doesn't make you a bad mom. Rest is not failure. Checking out for a bit is not failure. It just means you're a person who's been carrying a whole lot, and your nervous system, it's asking for a break. Give yourself that break without any guilt attached to it, not just this weekend on Mother's Day, but give it to yourself as much as you need it. I think we need to celebrate Mother's Day way more often than one time a year. And I wanna be really honest with you today because this show is called Making the Space Monday, and I talk a lot about presence and intention and making space for what matters, and I'm still doing that work every single day, you guys. I'm not on the other side of it. I am in this season with you, trying to show up more present, trying to let go of what isn't serving me, trying to make space in real life, not just in theory. Some days I feel like I'm totally nailing it, and the other days I absolutely feel like I am not. Nobody is doing this perfectly, not the coaches, not the people with the color-coded pantries, not the moms who make it look effortless on the internet and on Instagram. We are all figuring it out, and we are all in this together. So here's what I know to be true. The fact that you even want to show up more fully, that you're listening to a podcast, Making the Space Monday, at all says everything about who you are. You care, you are trying, you are thinking about your values and your presence and your family even when it's hard. That trying is the work, and you don't get nearly enough credit for it. Presence, it's not a destination you arrive at. It's something that you're choosing imperfectly, and you're practicing it over and over again. And when you're ready to come back after the rest, after the checkout moment, after the chaos settles in, we're here. That's what this is all about. Not any form of perfection, not having it all figured out, just making a little more space whenever you can for what actually matters. So this one is for you, all of you. To the mom running on no sleep and still showing up, I'm giving you a big high five. To the mom who just survived Teacher Appreciation Week and was the volunteer and brought the gifts every day and did the door decorating, who's already staring down graduation season, high five to you. To the mom who lost her patience and tried again, high five. To the mom who checked out for a minute and totally needed it, high five. To the mom who is still figuring it out and showing up anyway, high five to you. And to every mom who has been hard on herself lately, you are doing so much better than you think. I wanna share something that has really been on my heart lately. I've been having the most lovely conversations with some of my closest friends, and so many of us are in this exact same season right now. Big milestone moments, graduations, kids growing up, life shifting in ways that feel both, like, really exciting and also a little bittersweet all at one time. And emotionally, it's just so much. We're trying to do it all, carry it all, be present for all of it, and some days it feels like everything is moving so fast you can barely catch your breath, and then other days it feels like time is just crawling, and you're just not sure how to exist in that in-between space. That tension is real, and it's okay to name it. But here's what I keep coming back to from those conversations. There is so much peace and comfort in knowing that you're not alone in this. And so many of us moms, we are feeling the same thing. We are carrying a similar weight, and we're asking some of the same questions And when we actually stop and connect, like really connect, and say, "Me too," something really shifts. We need that. We really need each other. And what I keep hearing over and over is this: We really are doing our best. We really are prioritizing what we value, and for so many of us, that is family, right at the very top of the list. We wanna show up for our kids, our partners, the people we love. We wanna give them everything. That desire? That's not a flaw. That's a gift. I know where that deep care comes from for me. I learned it from watching my mom. She has modeled it always, you know, quietly, consistently, just showing up and prioritizing her family, pouring herself into the people that she loves always. And I carry that with me. It shaped who I am, how I parent, why this work matters so much to me. So mom, if you're listening, thank you. I see it now more than ever. And for everyone listening who had a mom like that or who is that mom for someone else right now, that legacy matters more than you know and I also wanna pause and say, I know Mother's Day is not a simple, happy day for everyone. If you had a complicated relationship with your mom, or you lost her, or she wasn't able to show up in the way that you needed, I see you too. This day can bring up so much, and your feelings are completely valid. What I hope you hear is this: the love and care that you are pouring into your own family, the way that you are showing up even when it's hard, that is you breaking a cycle, building something new, creating the things that maybe you didn't have, and that is one of the most powerful things a person can do. You deeply matter So to every mom listening, happy Mother's Day. Take whatever you need from this week. Rest if you need rest. Celebrate if you have the energy to celebrate. Sit quietly if that's what your soul is asking for. Whatever it looks like for you, honor it. You have earned it. And I want you to carry this with you. Celebrate all that you are, all that you're becoming, and everything you have already accomplished, because that list is so much longer than you ever give yourself credit for. And this is exactly why I care so deeply about this work. Not because of clutter, not because of organizing systems, but because of this. Because of the mom who is trying so hard and feeling so behind and not seeing herself clearly. Because I have been her. Because so many of us have. Making space in your home, in your head, in your life is really just about getting back to yourself, getting back to what matters, and every mom deserves that. Every single one. I hope that you feel that today and really feel it. This is your reminder that you are not alone in this and you never have to be Thank you for being here today. Follow the show so you don't miss another Monday reset, and I will see you next week. Happy Mother's Day, friends.

Speaker 16 8:43

A quick note before we close. This podcast is for education and inspiration. It's not a substitute for therapy or medical care. If you're needing mental health support, please reach out to a licensed provider in your area