Motherhood Changes Us: The identity shift, disconnection & inner changes many women quietly experience

Soul FULL

By Bree Sutherland

Motherhood changes us in ways we don’t always expect.

Not just practically, but emotionally, mentally, relationally and internally too.

And yet, so much of the conversation around motherhood centres around the visible aspects of it all, the routines, the demands, the mental load, the endless day-to-day practicalities, without acknowledging the quieter shifts happening beneath the surface.

Motherhood is not a static experience. It continues to evolve, and so do we. It stretches us, reshapes us and slowly changes what we value, what we need and how we move through the world.

And along the way, many women quietly realise they don’t quite feel like themselves anymore.

And it makes sense. So much has shifted.

Your priorities may no longer look the same. Your capacity is different. What once mattered may no longer feel aligned. Even the way you experience yourself, your relationships, your work and your life can begin to feel unfamiliar.

Many women find themselves in an in-between space during motherhood, a liminal space. No longer who they once were, but not yet fully connected to who they are now.

Sometimes this disconnection is obvious. But often, it’s much quieter than that.

It can feel like constantly carrying the mental load while quietly losing touch with yourself underneath it all. Like moving through the days on autopilot. Like saying yes to things you don’t truly have the capacity for, or continuing to meet expectations that no longer feel right for you. Like feeling emotionally flat, overwhelmed or disconnected from joy, creativity, confidence or the parts of yourself you once felt deeply connected to. Like struggling to articulate what you need, while sensing that something feels “off”, even if you can’t fully explain why.

Most women assume this is simply part of motherhood. That eventually life will settle down and they’ll naturally feel like themselves again.

But often, what’s really needed is something much deeper than a moment alone or a break from the demands of life.

It’s support to understand what’s actually changing beneath the surface. Support to process the identity shifts of motherhood, reconnect with yourself in this season of life and understand what no longer fits, what matters now, and how to move forward in a way that feels true to who you are becoming.

Because this isn’t something most women have ever been taught how to navigate.

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