It’s funny how easily we forget ourselves. When I turned 40, I decided enough was enough and I was going to spend time trying to find myself again. Since becoming a new Mum during a pandemic after 14 months of shielding, returning to work full time, and managing a busy household all whilst trying to keep everything (and everyone) going, I didn’t even notice how much of me had slipped away — until I hit pause. Or rather, until life made me.

The past year has been a whirlwind — not in the exciting, movie-montage kind of way, but in the quiet, draining kind that creeps in slowly. That, and I almost died, but that’s a story for another day.

I’ve faced a year of poor health, both physically and mentally, and it forced me to confront things I’d been too busy (or too afraid) to stop and feel. Living with high-functioning anxiety and PTSD means I’ve gotten very good at looking fine. Smiling, performing, juggling it all — while privately burning out.

And I did. Burn out.

Hard.

I kept going because I thought I had to — I’m a mum, I work full-time, I have people who need me. But in the background, I was disappearing. Not all at once, but little by little. I stopped doing everything that I loved, stopped sharing, stopped socialising, stopped doing the things that used to bring me joy. Life felt like something I was simply surviving, not living.

But here’s the thing about losing yourself: you can always find your way back.

This blog is part of that for me. A gentle, intentional way to reconnect with myself. Not to chase perfection or reinvent everything — just to reclaim the parts of me I miss.

You’ll find a bit of everything here:

– honest reflections on motherhood and mental health

– easy family recipes that fit into real life

– moments from our days out, big and small

– simple joys and creative sparks, like amateur photography and memory-making

– and probably the occasional ramble when I’ve had too much coffee and not enough sleep.

I’m not here to give advice or tell anyone how to do life better. I’m just sharing mine — as it is, not as it looks through a filter. If you’ve ever felt stretched thin, burnt out, or just a little lost in the busyness of it all… you’re not alone. And if you’re on your own journey back to you, I hope this space feels like a small bit of comfort and connection.

Thanks for being here. Here’s to reclaiming what matters — one messy, beautiful step at a time.

— Gemma

If this post resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or connect over on Instagram @gemmaangelenwhite or TikTok @gemmaangelenewhit.

We’re all figuring it out, one step at a time.