Thinking About Softness As A Strategy
Our bamboo sleep masks. I originally started designing them with my daughter.
Lately, it feels like everyone is tired in the same way.
Not quite the kind of tired that comes from doing too much — but a deeper, persistent fatigue. The kind that lingers even after rest. The kind that settles into the body, trickles into the soul, and makes simple things feel heavier than they should.
We mention it casually. I’m exhausted. I’m burned out. I just need a moment, a break.
But underneath those words is something more complex. Our nervous systems are living in constant urgency.
For far too long, many of us multitasking women have been moving at a pace that demands that we stay alert, productive, engaged and emotionally available — all at once.
Even rest becomes something that is scheduled or managed. Sleep is tracked. Wellness is scheduled. Self-care is measured.
But what if the exhaustion so many of us feel isn’t a personal failure, but a solid response to the way we’ve been living?
All that’s happening in the world, politically. The news that we’re ingesting.
The impact of weathering in these far from normal times.
The plans we said yes to when we should have declined.
The inner nudges that we’ve ignored.
I’ve been thinking a lot about softness lately. Not as a mood, but as a strategy.
Softness, as in allowing rest to be taken freely, not earned.
Softness, as in saying yes to support instead of independence.
Softness, as in being confident in our ‘no,’ long before we’re at capacity.
This kind of softness is intentional. It means recognizing that constantly pushing harder isn’t the same as getting ahead. It means understanding that our maturing bodies and nervous systems are part of the equation — not vehicles to override.
As I balance motherhood and entrepreneur life, here’s where I see this manifest:
At night, when I try to squeeze in one more business to-do, and dinner runs super late. On mornings when an early workout was once the norm, but now feels impossible, even after a full night’s sleep.
Bedtime bliss, featuring our Mermaid sleep mask
What’s needed isn’t motivation — it’s permission.
Permission to slow down without justification.
Permission to do less without guilt.
Permission to choose ease when life seems to reward strain.
This is where gentle rituals — kick in.
Simple anchors that signal safety and support to the body.
Dimming the lights earlier.
Creating softer bedtime transitions that feel more natural and rhythmic than chaotic for our kids.
Having simple tools within reach that make rest more accessible when willpower is a hot wrap.
These aren’t solutions. They’re signals. Small forms of care that allow us to whisper to ourselves, “You don’t have to hold everything together right now”
At Mommafied, this understanding is at the heart of what we create. Not because we believe products can fix exhaustion, but because we know how much it helps to feel supported in the moments when energy is low and demands are high. When rest is no longer theoretical, but something you need help accessing.
Our aromatherapy sleep pillows
Softness, in this way, becomes deeply practical.
It’s choosing a pace that rewards our bodies and frees us of constant executive functioning.
It’s designing our lives with quality rest in mind.
It’s recognizing that tending to our nervous systems isn’t indulgent — it’s foundational.
We don’t need more pressure disguised as self-care
We don’t need louder how-to’s or higher standards for wellness
What many of us need right now is a gentler approach. One that allows us to keep going without burning out. One that invites rest to be imperfect and enough.
Softness isn’t complete surrender at all times.
It’s necessary maintenance. And often, it’s the most strategic choice we can make.
Author: Chie Davis, creator of Mommafied, a vegan wellness shop + blog. I love helping busy women incorporate plant-based living and better rest into their daily routines. This post was originally published on our Substack. Join our community!