For a very long time, wellness for mothers has felt like another item on an already overflowing to do list, often synonymous with relentless self-improvement, perfectly curated Instagram feeds, and an underlying pressure to bounce back.
In Canada, where mothers increasingly participate in the workforce, the challenges are palpable. Modern workplaces weren’t designed for mothers, leading to an impossible trade off where women are expected to excel professionally while also engaging in intensive mothering.
Interestingly, a new wave of Canadian mothers is challenging this narrative, embracing a more authentic and sustainable approach to wellness. The soft life isn’t about being lazy or disengaged, it’s about being intentional, here’s how Canadian mothers are embodying this shift.
Nourishing from Within Simple & Sustainable Choices:
The focus is moving away from restrictive diets and towards intuitive eating and simple, nourishing meals, many Canadian mothers are rediscovering the joy of cooking with local, seasonal ingredients. some women found comfort and connection in preparing traditional family recipes, often involving community kitchens or shared meals with other new mothers, fostering a sense of belonging and cultural wellness.
2. The Rise of Micro-Wellness Moments:
With rising costs of childcare and demanding work schedules, most mums can’t afford two-hour yoga retreats. A growing TikTok trend among millennial South Asian mums features 2 minute chai making ASMR videos as soft life rituals. Some mothers can’t meditate with their toddlers, but can slow pour masala chai and feel whole again.
3. Prioritizing Rest as Resistance:
In a society that glorifies exhaustion, Canadian moms are recognizing rest as a radical act of self preservation. This isn’t just about sleep, though that’s crucial and often elusive for new mothers. It’s about consciously carving out moments of stillness. A mother started a podcast, where she interviews Indigenous mothers about reclaiming rest and motherhood away from colonial expectations of hyper productivity.
4. Gentle Parenting as Soft Life Advocacy:
Canadian mums are increasingly linking their parenting style to their wellness goals, many are abandoning reactive discipline for gentler, emotionally conscious parenting, not to follow a trend, but to break cycles and preserve their sanity. Most mothers now teaches how to hold boundaries, honour emotional needs, and stop parenting from a place of exhaustion or inherited trauma.
5. Boundary Setting, Unapologetically:
The pressure to be everything to everyone is immense. Canadian mothers are learning the power of no, from a freelance graphic designer and mom of three, recently implemented no work emails after 5 PM and no weekend work. Her mental health improved dramatically, and more present with her kids. This might extend to politely declining playdates that feel overwhelming or delegating tasks to partners or a trusted support network.
Conclusion
The future of modern mothers isn’t about perfection, it’s involves crafting a new wellness narrative, one that reflects the realities of immigration, inflation, parenting pressure, and emotional exhaustion. You permission to rest, say no, define wellness on their own terms, creating a real life that truly embraces the soft. To every mother choosing joy in a world that demands too much, your soft life is real life and it’s enough.