There’s a quiet kind of exhaustion most women in midlife and beyond can relate to. This exhaustion is not loud or chaotic. It shows up in the seemingly insignificant moments when our soul whispers to us, trying to gain our attention, that something is off.

• Forgetting what day it is
• Snapping at someone you love
• Constantly feeling like you’re in quicksand
• Dreading the day ahead

Many of us can relate to feeling like we’re floating through life without being present. Our road to this place often looks different. Still, the stories I hear typically go along the lines of spending decades showing up for everyone else — kids, partners, friends, ageing parents, siblings, colleagues and so on.

Mastering the art of holding everything together

I see you. On the outside, you’re capable. Strong. Reliable. The person people call when they’re in a crisis. Inside, you’re tired. Disconnected. An outsider looking in on your life. You’re playing a character and a ‘role’ you’ve been playing for years.

You tell yourself it’ll blow over. Such feelings are part of life’s natural ebb and flow, right? Maybe. You reassure yourself that you’ll find time for self-care and much-needed reflection soon. But ‘soon’ never comes. That to-do list keeps growing. And the guilt of stopping feels heavier than the exhaustion itself.

Here’s the thing: You’re not broken. You’re burned out or well on the way to burning out. You don’t need to fix yourself or better plan your days. You need to pause and return to yourself.

The power of the pause

One of the most courageous things a woman in midlife can do is slow down. Not in a ‘take a bubble bath’/essential oils kind of way but with a deeply intentional approach where you return to the basics: reconnecting with your mind, body and spirit.

Pausing can feel terrifying when you’ve been operating in survival mode for so long. What if you stop and everything falls apart? What if you finally listen to yourself and don’t like what you hear? That’s your fight-flight and/or fawn responses talking.

Writing from the body can be a powerful starting point when practised safely. Forget the pressure-filled, ‘dear diary’ writing you did as an angst-ridden teenager; I’m talking about gentle, curious, body-connected journaling. The kind that asks, “How am I, really?” and doesn’t rush or censor the answer.

Writing creates a space that’s just for you. No expectations. No judgement. You, your thoughts, and a page ready to listen to and absorb your words.

What I teach differs from standard journaling because I use something called a resource and other body-based approaches to help regulate the nervous system. Resourcing is an embodied processing term. Embodied processing is a body-based approach to working with trauma. I’ve been a certified Embodied Processing Practitioner since June 2022. A resource is anything we can go to that leads us to the opposite of overwhelm. That could be a pet, a colour, a memory, something imagined… the possibilities are endless. I guide people in sessions to find their resource. If you want to learn more, I’m happy to share my guided meditations with you. Email me at: info@sarahcannata.com.

Writing as a way back to yourself

The women I work with aren’t professional writers. They’re mothers, carers, professionals, partners, friends, and so much more than the labels we give ourselves. Think of women who’ve been living on autopilot for years. They crave something they can’t quite name when they come to me. A sense of aliveness. A feeling of being seen. A way to reconnect with their own needs without guilt or being overwhelmed. This world is terribly impatient with those of us who do not fit into a neat little box.

Time and time again, writing has become the key for the people I work with.

Because when you permit yourself to feel, even just a little, everything begins to shift. Initially, it may feel like the floodgates have opened, but you’ll eventually begin creating micro-moments of peace through self-awareness. Not because anything outside of you slows down but because you do. And the best part? You don’t need hours or expensive tools. You only need 5-10 minutes, a pen, paper, and a safe space to land.

It’s not about doing more. It’s about feeling more

You’ve done enough. You’ve given enough. Now, it’s your turn to receive, not from others but from yourself.

Writing is how we listen and return to our core selves, making sense of the emotional chaos that life throws our way. And when it’s paired with a trauma-informed, body-based approach, writing becomes so much more than words on a page. It becomes a lifeline.

Start by asking this simple question:

What do I need today?

Then write for your eyes only.

You’re not alone, and you’re not too late

If this message spoke to something inside you, know this: you’re not the only one feeling this way. And you’re not too old, far gone, or broken to return to yourself. You matter.

And when you’re ready, I’m here, not to fix you, but to walk beside you, pen in hand, as you begin to remember who you really are.

Soulful Steps

I currently only have 1 space left in the Soulful Steps 3-month program at 50% off. If you want to explore what change could look like for you, let’s chat. Payment plans are available. You are welcome to email me with any questions you may have: info@sarahcannata.com