DECLUTTER YOUR LIFE

Groceries dig into my forearms as I nudge the door open with my hip. When I go to step through, my foot catches on a backpack. Then another. Then a third, a strap tangled around the first two like they planned it together.

I stand there for a second, arms burning, foot stuck, wondering how in the world three backpacks have conspired against me.

Sound fami...

One year ago, my world instantly paused when my son broke his back, femur, and pelvis at age 15.

I had just hopped off my sister’s trampoline, feeling light and free, when I answered a phone call only to hear his strained voice say—

“Mom, I’m fine, but you should probably meet me at the hospital.”

He had clipped a tree with the ...

Done. I was done.

I was done putting away dozens of things I never even got out.

I was done pretending I didn’t mind the endless picking up that seemed to arrive hand in hand with motherhood.

I was done feeling like a lifeless, uninspired, UN-FUN wife and mom because so much of my energy went to keeping up the house.

It was...

For years, I secretly thought I wasn’t cut out for motherhood. I adored my kids, but I constantly felt overstimulated by the noise, the mess, the endless needs.

Gradually, I learned about being an introvert and a highly sensitive person, and I learned that motherhood—with its constant sensory input, escalating mental load, and lack of control—can put your body in f...