The Rubber and Glass Balls: A Grounding Tool for Pregnancy and Postpartum Overwhelm Support

A Grounding Tool for Pregnancy and Postpartum Overwhelm Support

Lately, I’ve been leaning on the rubber and glass balls - a metaphor I share with my perinatal clients - to help manage pregnancy and postpartum overwhelm and anxiety.

As a mum of two young children with very different needs, and as someone who supports others through perinatal mental health, life right now often feels like a constant juggling act.

Some days, the load feel lighter and more predictable... Other days? Like juggling in a windstorm.

How the Rubber and Glass Balls Tool Helps

Here’s the idea:

We all juggle many balls - motherhood, work, relationships, home life, our health, friendships, and the endless list of “shoulds.”

Not all balls are made the same. Some are glass. Some are rubber.

Glass balls

High-priority aspects of life - your mental health, physical wellbeing, your children’s core needs, and the relationships that sustain you. When these drop, the impact is deeper.

Rubber balls

Parts of life that can bounce for a while - house chores, non-essential tasks, social media, or extra commitments. They’ll roll away for a bit but will be there when you’re ready to pick them up again.

Recognising the difference is key to pregnancy and postpartum overwhelm support, helping you prioritise your energy and focus where it matters most.

Learning to Tell the Difference

Since returning to work after maternity leave, I’ve been asking myself daily:

>> Which of the balls I’m holding right now are glass? >> Which can I let bounce without guilt?

Answers shift constantly.

For example, being active on social media has been one of my rubber balls lately. I’ve stepped back (even though the community I've built matters to me), and that’s ok. Letting it bounce created space to adjust to new routines, focus on my children, and honour my own wellbeing.

Motherhood isn’t static. What feels essential one week may feel flexible the next. This ongoing recalibration is at the heart of pregnancy and postpartum overwhelm support.

The Truth About Juggling

You’re not meant to keep all the balls in the air. No one can.

Sometimes things will drop - dinner plans, laundry, a forgotten text, a missed opportunity. That doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re human.

The power of this tool isn’t in juggling more efficiently - it’s in pausing and recognising what truly can’t drop today.

Those are your glass balls. The rest? They’ll bounce.

How Hypnobirthing Also Supports This

One of the things I love about Hypnobirthing is how it teaches presence, clarity, and confidence in moments that feel overwhelming.

The breathwork, mindset techniques, and relaxation exercises aren’t just for birth. They help with juggling motherhood too. They help with pregnancy and postpartum overwhelm. They help you reconnect to yourself.

A Gentle Invitation

If you’re feeling stretched thin - whether pregnant, newly postpartum, or navigating a busy season of motherhood - take a moment to name your glass and rubber balls.

Maybe even write them down.

There is relief in giving yourself permission to let some things bounce, even just for today.

Caring for what matters most - your wellbeing, relationships, and emotional steadiness - isn’t selfish. It’s what allows you to keep going with softness, presence, and strength.

If You Need Pregnancy or Postpartum Overwhelm Support, I’m Here

If you’re an expectant or new mum feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or exhausted by everything you’re juggling - you don’t have to do it alone.

I support mums through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum with:

• perinatal mental health guidance

• gentle emotional support tools

• Hypnobirthing and mindfulness techniques for calm and confidence

• a safe, nurturing space to pause, breathe, and recalibrate

If you’d like support - or even just to book a free initial conversation - please feel free to get in touch here.

You deserve care, grounding, and space to breathe.