
Just Put It Down: A Mother’s Winter Mantra for Mindful Living
The other day, I was driving, my little one in the backseat, content with her bottle in hand. Until, suddenly, she started frantically asking me to hold it for her.
Let me preface this by saying—she’s more than capable. She’s popped that bottle into the cup holder a hundred times before. But in that moment, with traffic jammed up and the relentless kids’ songs wearing down my nerves, I snapped:
“Just put it down!”
And she did. Calmly. Obediently.
Like she’d never needed my help at all.
For the rest of the drive, I couldn’t shake the thought:
How often do we do this?
How often do we cling to something we could easily release—just because we’re overstimulated, overtired, or running on empty?
What Are You Still Carrying?
That small moment stuck with me.
And as winter rolls in, it’s become my quiet mantra.
Just put it down.
Not forever. Not dramatically.
But just for now—long enough to breathe.
Because if we’re being honest, most of us are holding too much.
The mental lists. The emotional weight. The constant effort to be everything for everyone.
We carry it all like it’s ours alone.
And we don’t realize that our arms are too full to hold anything nourishing until we finally let something go.
Winter Is the Invitation
Nature gets it.
The trees are shedding. The light is pulling back. Animals are slowing down, resting, retreating.
But what do we do?
We make more lists.
Buy more things.
Fill the calendar until it’s bursting at the seams with obligations, all in the name of joy.
But real joy?
It lives in the quiet.
In the ordinary.
In the moments when we choose to soften instead of perform.

What If Rest Was Resistance?
There’s a quiet kind of power in putting something down.
Not because it’s finished.
Not because you’ve earned it.
But because you matter too.
Rest doesn’t have to be a weekend away or a spa day.
Sometimes it’s:
- Leaving the laundry for tomorrow
- Eating while seated, not standing at the counter
- Letting the text go unanswered for now
- Saying no to the extra cookie exchange because you're tired
None of these are extravagant.
But they’re radical in a culture that glorifies burnout.
Just Put It Down
Let this winter be a season of release.
Let the undone things stay undone a little longer.
Let yourself be held by something quieter than productivity.
You’re allowed to rest.
You’re allowed to reset.
You’re allowed to put it down.
Mini Prompt for Reflection:
What are you holding right now that you could lovingly lay down—even just for today?
✨Gentle Next Steps
Don’t scroll past the nudge.
If something stirred in you, trust that. It’s not about someday — it’s about today.
Start with the free Heart-Led Handbook to reconnect with your intuition and remember who you are beneath the overwhelm.
Or step into the Rooted Beginnings Yoga Workshop—a gentle, judgment-free space for moms who feel disconnected and are ready to come home to themselves.
Your healing isn’t selfish. It’s sacred. And it’s time.
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