For the Mothers Returning Tired, Not Rested
Why Going Back to Work After the Festive Season Feels So Hard for Mothers
Understanding post-festive overwhelm – and how to return with compassion
If you’re a mother heading back to work after the festive season feeling exhausted, unfocused or already behind, you’re not failing. You are responding to a period that likely asked far more of you than it gave back.
January often arrives with the expectation that we should feel rested and ready to ‘get back into the swing of things’. For many mothers, however, the festive season is not a break at all – it’s a shift into a different kind of work.
At Moco Coaching, we regularly support mothers who return to work feeling depleted, guilty and questioning their capability, despite managing an enormous amount in the weeks before.
The Festive Season Isn’t a Rest for Most Mothers
While the idea of the holidays suggests rest, for many mothers it means increased emotional labour, mental load and responsibility. Planning meals, managing children’s routines, navigating family dynamics, buying presents, arranging childcare and keeping everything running often fall disproportionately on mothers’ shoulders.
Even when time off work is taken, it is rarely time off from thinking, organising or caring. Add disrupted sleep, children off school, travel, financial pressure and the emotional weight that often comes with family gatherings and it’s unsurprising that many mothers return to work feeling drained rather than refreshed.
Why Returning to Work Can Feel Especially Overwhelming
Several factors make the transition back to work particularly challenging for mothers:
Your mental load hasn’t paused.
While work may have stopped, decision-making and responsibility rarely did. Returning to professional demands while still holding family logistics in mind creates immediate cognitive overload.
Your brain needs time to switch roles again.
Moving from full-time caregiving mode back into professional problem-solving requires mental reorientation. This adjustment takes energy and can temporarily affect focus and confidence.
There’s pressure to “prove yourself” quickly.
Many mothers feel an unspoken expectation to return as competent, efficient and fully available immediately – often without acknowledging the additional load they’re carrying.
The festive period can be emotionally demanding.
Family expectations, comparison, conflict or simply holding space for everyone else’s needs can leave little room for recovery.
This isn’t about resilience or capability. It’s about capacity.
Gentle Ways to Support Your Return to Work
Rather than pushing yourself to function as if nothing has happened, small, intentional adjustments can make a meaningful difference.
Lower the bar (temporarily).
This isn’t about dropping standards; it’s about recognising that your energy and focus may need time to rebuild.
Create boundaries around your attention.
Batch emails, protect short periods of focused work and reduce unnecessary multitasking where possible.
Name your needs – even quietly.
You don’t have to justify needing time to re-orient. Simply acknowledging it to yourself can reduce internal pressure and self-criticism.
Use movement as regulation, not productivity.
Gentle walks, stretching or fresh air help regulate stress and improve mood – especially when your nervous system feels overloaded.
Let “good enough” be enough.
Perfectionism is often a survival strategy for overwhelmed mothers. January is not the time to aim for exceptional – it’s the time to aim for sustainable.
Reframing the Return: You Don’t Need to Bounce Back
There is a strong cultural narrative that after time off we should bounce back quickly. For mothers, this expectation is particularly unrealistic. Recovery is not instant and productivity is not a measure of worth.
Instead of asking, “Why can’t I cope like everyone else?”, try asking, “What would support me to re-enter work more gently?” Self-compassion is not indulgent – it is practical and protective.
At Moco Coaching, we believe mothers don’t need to try harder – they need environments, expectations and internal narratives that reflect reality. January isn’t about pushing through. It’s about finding your footing again, with care, honesty and permission to move at a human pace.
If this resonates, you don’t have to navigate this transition alone.
At Moco Coaching, we work companies that support mothers who are juggling professional responsibility, family life and the invisible mental load that sits underneath it all. Coaching offers a confidential, non-judgemental space to slow things down, untangle overwhelm and reconnect with what actually matters to you – not just what’s expected.
Together, we can explore:
How to manage mental load and boundaries without guilt
Ways to return to work that are sustainable, not draining
Letting go of perfectionism and unrealistic expectations
Building confidence and clarity in your role – at work and at home
This isn’t about becoming a “better” or more efficient mother. It’s about feeling more grounded, resourced and supported as the person you already are.
If you’re returning to work this January feeling stretched, exhausted or unsure of your footing, coaching can help you find a steadier way forward.