I still remember the night I hit my wall.

It was late — the house was quiet except for the hum of my laptop. My kids were finally asleep, the dishes were done, and there I was, sitting at my desk, staring blankly at a spreadsheet that refused to make sense. My eyes burned, my brain felt foggy, and I remember thinking: Is this it? Is this what life is supposed to feel like?

For the first time in a long time, I couldn’t come up with an answer. If someone had asked me what I liked to do for fun, I wouldn’t have known what to say. I had been juggling corporate work and motherhood for over a decade, and somewhere along the way, I had lost myself in the shuffle. I wasn’t unhappy exactly — just… numb. Like I was living on autopilot, always doing, rarely being.

That moment became a quiet turning point — though I didn’t know it yet.

The Search for Something More

A few nights later, I found myself typing “happy women” into Google — as if the internet might hold the secret to contentment.

What I actually found was something better: a podcast, and then a community of women who, just like me, were trying to find their way back to themselves. That group became a kind of lifeline — my first real space to breathe, reflect, and simply be me again.

Once a week, I’d meet with my small “soul circle.” Just one hour. One hour that was completely mine. No meetings, no carpools, no multitasking. It felt foreign at first, almost selfish. But that hour became sacred. It was the first time I gave myself permission to exist outside of what I did for everyone else.

And that permission — that decision to claim time that was mine — was where everything started to change.

Creating Space Begins Inside

We often think about “creating space” as something external — clearing our schedules, decluttering our homes, blocking time on our calendars. But I’ve learned that true space starts inside.

For me, creating space meant giving myself permission to think, to dream, to grow. Permission to imagine a life that wasn’t just about keeping all the plates spinning, but about feeling alive again.

When we reclaim that internal space, we naturally begin to build it in our world — through boundaries, time choices, and little rituals that remind us we’re not just caretakers of everyone else’s needs. We’re creators of our own lives.

Space isn’t something you find. It’s something you claim.

Rediscovering Creativity, Rest, and Play

Today, creativity shows up in my life in ways I never would’ve expected. It’s in the vision boards I create each January. The way I decorate or reorganize a room. The writing of this blog. Craft nights with friends. Even reading a good book without guilt.

None of those things feel frivolous anymore — they feel necessary.

Because creativity isn’t a luxury. Rest isn’t a reward. Play isn’t something we earn.
They’re the oxygen our souls need to breathe again.

Maybe you’ve felt that tug too — that quiet whisper asking, When was the last time you did something just for you?

Your First Small Step

If you’re reading this and thinking, I wouldn’t even know where to start, you’re not alone.

Creating space doesn’t begin with a total life overhaul. It begins with one small, intentional choice. Saying “no” to an extra commitment. Turning off your phone for 15 minutes. Taking a walk without a podcast in your ears.

That’s how you start to build the kind of space that welcomes creativity, rest, and play back into your life.

And if you need a little help finding those small windows of time, I’ve created something for you — a 15-Minute Time Saver Template. It’s a simple way to spot where your time is slipping away and reclaim it for the things that actually fill you up.

Because you deserve to feel like you again.

Final Thought

When I look back at that woman sitting at her desk — exhausted, disconnected, and wondering if there was more — I wish I could tell her this:

There is more.

It’s waiting for you in the space you create.

Ready to take your first small step? Get the 15-Minute Time Saver Template here.