Why You Feel Guilty Resting in Motherhood (And Why You Don't Have to Earn It)

Do you ever sit down to rest... only to feel like you should be doing something else?

In this Moment, Zoe is joined by psychologist and author Dr Nicola Jane Hobbs to explore why so many mothers struggle to slow down. The answer isn't that you're lazy, bad at resting or doing motherhood wrong. It's that your nervous system has learnt that being busy feels safe.

Together they explore why matrescence can feel like such a shock to our system, how years of rushing make stillness feel unfamiliar, and why learning to weave tiny moments of slowness into your day can help your nervous system feel calmer, safer and more regulated.

Nicola also shares a beautiful redefinition of rest: it's not just lying down or getting more sleep. Rest is anything that helps your nervous system switch off its stress response.

If you've ever struggled with mum guilt or burnout, or found it impossible to truly relax, this conversation will completely change the way you think about rest.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your nervous system can experience slowing down as a threat

• Why rest feels so uncomfortable after becoming a mum

• Tiny ways to teach your nervous system that slowness is safe

• A new definition of rest that actually feels achievable in motherhood

• Why resting benefits both you and your children

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This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Jurassic Oceans Exhibition at The Natural History Museum. Kids go half price.