Finding Balance: Lessons from a Weekend of Rest and Renewal
This weekend, I had the privilege of stepping away from my usual rhythm of therapy sessions, parenting schedules, and affirmation shipments to celebrate a dear friend’s 50th birthday at Civana Resort and Spa in Arizona. It was a celebration not only of her milestone, but also of the quiet, often-overlooked victories of mothers and professionals who pour endlessly into others and are learning — sometimes the hard way — how to pour back into themselves.
As moms, it’s never easy to step away. There’s the lingering worry — Will the kids be okay? Are my clients being held? — and the tug of guilt that whispers we should always be available. But part of emotional maturity and healing, both for ourselves and those we serve, is learning to trust the systems we’ve built — our children’s resilience, our clients’ progress, our own inner wisdom — so we can recharge and return more centered, grounded, and whole.
Throughout the weekend, I joined morning intention-setting sessions, evening gratitude practices, walking meditations, spin classes, aerial yoga and stretching, and even revisited the sound bath experience — twice — to see if it could meet me where I was emotionally. It turns out, sound baths are quite for me (and that’s okay!), but the aerial yoga (my favorite activity) stretched me in all the right ways — physically and mentally. Suspended mid-air, I found both surrender and strength, balance and buoyancy.
That’s the power of self-care when it’s intentional: it doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s version of peace. It’s about finding the practices that help you return home to yourself — even if that “home” is hanging upside down in a silk hammock, smiling to yourself in gratitude.
As a therapist, my goal for my clients — and for myself — is to keep redefining what healing looks like. It’s not just sitting in session or reading affirmations; it’s living them. It’s whispering, “I am allowed to rest,” or “My peace is powerful,” and believing it deeply enough to act on it.
To all the moms and caretakers reading this: self-care isn’t selfish — it’s sacred. May you find your own version of aerial yoga, your own way to stretch toward joy, and your own daily affirmation that reminds you that you deserve to be cared for too.
With love and light,
Dr. Reon Baird-Feldman
Founder, 2nd City Psych | Speak Power See Change