Cultivating Spaciousness When Life Feels Full
When we feel overwhelmed by stress, the tasks of daily living, or the pressure of parenting, managing relationships, or professional performance, among other demands, our minds and bodies can start to feel compressed and crowded. Anxiety may spike, or patterns of avoidance and procrastination may quietly take hold.
For many people—especially those in caregiving roles—this sense of compression can feel nearly constant. Mothers, in particular, often carry not only their own needs and responsibilities, but the emotional, physical, and logistical needs of others. When there’s little uninterrupted time or personal space, the body may stay in a state of quiet bracing, even during moments of rest.
In the body, this often shows up as:
Constant muscle tension
Slumped or collapsed posture
Shallow, restricted breathing
Difficulty fully exhaling or feeling settled after activity
A persistent sense of urgency or readiness to respond
These are common and understandable responses to sustained pressure. Over time, this lack of internal and external space can leave us feeling depleted, reactive, and disconnected from ourselves.
One way we can begin to soften the weight of all that pressure is by intentionally cultivating spaciousness in our minds, our bodies, our physical environments, our schedules, or sometimes all of the above.
What Is Spaciousness?
Spaciousness isn’t necessarily about doing less; it’s about creating enough internal room to meet your life with more ease.
When we have access to spaciousness, our nervous system has more capacity to respond rather than react, meaning we’re better able to pause, sense what we need, and choose how to move forward, instead of feeling pulled into automatic patterns of tension or urgency.
We’re able to stay present with what’s in front of us without feeling rushed, compressed, or overwhelmed from the inside.
When personal space is limited—whether physically, emotionally, or energetically—due to life’s obligations, the nervous system may struggle to fully settle. Spaciousness can help restore a felt sense of autonomy and choice, even in lives that are full and interconnected.
Spaciousness can look and feel like:
Enough room in your body to breathe comfortably
A sense of support beneath or around you, allowing your body to soften
Brief moments when your body can rest from anticipating what’s next
Gentle pauses woven into the flow of your day
A Gentle Somatic Invitation
The following exercise is a simple way to begin exploring spaciousness through both imagination and gentle movement.
Imagine being in a spacious location that feels safe and comfortable for you.
This might be:
An open field with nothing around for miles
A quiet beach with a wide horizon
A cozy corner of your home that’s free of clutter and full of soft blankets and pillows
Any place that represents spaciousness to you
As you imagine this place, notice how you respond.
If you sense any uneasiness, adjust the image. Make it smaller, warmer, quieter, or more enclosed if needed. Spaciousness is not about more; it’s about what’s just enough for you.
Now gently bring your attention to your body, if that feels okay for you in this moment.
Without forcing anything, experiment with moving in ways that create even a small sense of expansion. There’s no right way to do this—your body gets to lead. You may try:
A slightly deeper breath, allowing more room in the lungs
A subtle lengthening of the spine
An outward or upward stretch of the arms
A soft widening across the chest or back
These movements don’t need to be big to be effective. Even subtle movements can send powerful signals to the nervous system.
Spend as much time as you need in movement or stillness in your imagined location. When it feels complete for you, notice if there are any differences in how your body and mind feel compared to when you began the exercise.
Weaving Spaciousness Into Daily Life
Spaciousness can be gently woven into moments you’re already living, especially when time feels scarce. Here are some ways to integrate spaciousness into your everyday rhythms:
Create Visual Space
Clear one small surface (a nightstand, desk corner, or kitchen counter)
Leave intentional “empty” space rather than filling every area
Soften Transitions
Pause for one full breath between tasks
Intentionally sit still for a moment before standing up or moving on
Use Your Body to Signal Safety
Roll your shoulders back and down
Lengthen your neck and gently lift your gaze
Let your arms hang loosely by your sides
Change Your Physical Relationship to Space
Step outside and look toward the horizon
Stand in a doorway or open window and feel the air around you
Offer Gentle Relief from Compression
Shift your weight, stretch, or change positions more often
Wear loose clothing and choose comfort for your body whenever possible
Somatic Practices to Continually Cultivate Spaciousness
You may want to explore one or two of the following practices when time allows to help spaciousness become something your body recognizes and returns to more easily.
Breath-Based Expansion
Slow, gentle inhales while imagining space spreading through your ribs, back, belly, or other areas of your body
Micro-Movements
Small stretches, rocking, or swaying to release holding patterns
Orienting to Space
Letting your eyes slowly take in the room or landscape around you
Postural Awareness
Checking in with how you’re holding your body and making small adjustments
Remembering Spaciousness
Revisiting a felt-sense memory of a place where your body knows how to relax
Over time, these practices can help your nervous system learn that it’s safe to soften without needing all the stressors in life to change first.
For mothers and caregivers, these practices are often most accessible in brief moments, maybe before the household wakes up, after bedtime, in the car, or even in the bathroom with the door closed.
Spaciousness often grows quietly, through small moments that add up over time. It doesn’t require long stretches of solitude; it begins with small moments of internal permission, offering your body enough room to feel supported within the life you’re already living.
With Care,
Lindsay
If you’d like to deepen your connection with your body and explore somatic work in a gentle, guided way, I’d be honored to support you. I work primarily with mothers and women who feel stretched thin by stress, overwhelm, and emotional depletion, helping them reconnect with their body’s wisdom so they can live and mother from a place of resilience, connection, and self-trust. If it feels supportive, you’re welcome to schedule a free discovery call to explore whether somatic coaching is a good fit for you.
Remember: This post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.