How I escaped the 'mum rut'

I wouldn’t say I was in a full-blown crisis or anything, but I found myself a few months ago stuck in a bit of a mum rut. It was the same loop every day: wake up early, get ready for work, hustle out the door, come home, cook dinner, clean up, do bedtime, prep for the next day… and repeat. As a full-time teacher and parent, I realised I was just moving through the motions. If I’m being honest, life was just a bit boring.

I missed challenging myself, like I used to at the gym. I missed learning new things just for the sake of it. But by the end of the day, I was always too tired to do anything beyond flopping into bed after battling with my daughter to go to sleep.

I decided I needed to break this autopilot mode. I still fantasise about waking up at 5am to exercise (hasn’t happened yet—lol), but I knew I needed to start small. Something achievable. Something I could do anywhere, anytime, that would still feel like a bit of a challenge. So, I decided to take up knitting.

My husband laughed. I called my mum and asked her if she had any spare needles and yarn. Took me a while but I eventually sat down with a pile of wool and a lot of YouTube tutorials. I made loads of mistakes, unravelled and started over and over again but it felt so good to be doing something just for me. Something that wasn’t work or parenting with zero pressure.

Have I made anything yet? No. Will I ever turn my knitting into a scarf? Probably not. But that’s not really the point. Knitting helped me get out of the rut. It’s simple, repetitive, and oddly satisfying. It gives me a bit of brain space at the end of the day, time that’s not about being productive, just time that’s mine. It works my brain in a different way than teaching or parenting does, and that’s been a refreshing change.

So if you’re a busy mum, especially one working full-time like me, and you feel like you’re stuck in that same old loop, maybe it’s time to find a little something that’s just for you. For me, it was knitting. For you, it might be painting, baking, journaling, or just taking a quiet walk alone. Whatever it is, give yourself permission to carve out a corner of the day that belongs only to you.

It really does make a difference.

Rest easy,

Lisa