Workplace Wellness for Women: Mastering the Art of “Chop Wood, Carry Water”, A Mental Reset

It’s been one of those weeks—or months—or maybe even on of those years. Maybe you closed a deal so big you’re pretty sure you need a cape now. Or you just wrapped up a project that felt like wrestling a caffeinated octopus. Either way, the dust settles, and suddenly...you have no idea what to do with yourself.

The instinct? Fill the void. “Let’s sign up for that pottery class!” or “I’ll start training for a half marathon!” But what if—stay with me here—you didn’t?

Instead of jumping into the next big thing, what if you went back to the basics? What if you did the ultimate working mom power move: absolutely nothing new?

The Permission to Pause

You know the drill. The morning scramble, the back-to-back meetings, the late-night email checks—it feels like you’re running a marathon without a finish line. When life moves this fast, even downtime feels like it needs a purpose.

But here’s the thing: You’re allowed to stop.

Not just slow down. Not just switch tasks. Actually stop.

You don’t need to fill every quiet moment with productivity. You have permission to do nothing—to sit, breathe, and just be. No plans, no projects, no purpose. It might feel strange at first, but in that stillness, you’ll find the space to reconnect with yourself.

The Wisdom of the Basics

There’s an old proverb that says, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” It’s a poetic way of saying: life’s magic isn’t in the big, shiny moments. It’s in the grounding simplicity of just being and doing only what’s necessary.

When the high-speed, high-stress season passes, resist the urge to fill the void with more. Instead, embrace the quiet, the mundane, and the everyday:

• Fold the laundry (eventually).

• Cook dinner without scrolling your phone.

• Walk outside and just...walk.

Listening to Your Inner World

Learning to be still is an art. At first, it might feel like you’re doing nothing—and that’s because you are. That’s the point.

Instead of drowning out your thoughts with busywork, let yourself hear what’s happening inside:

• What do I actually need right now?

• What’s my body telling me?

• Is it time for a nap or just a cup of tea? (Both are valid answers.)

When you give yourself space to listen, you’ll start to recalibrate. You’ll remember who you are beyond the hustle.

A Working Parent's Guide to “Chop Wood, Carry Water”

Here’s what going back to basics looks like in real life:

• The Morning Commute Zen: No emails, no to-do lists. Just sip your coffee and enjoy the silence.

• The Laundry Meditation: No multitasking. Just fold, breathe, and revel in the fact that no one’s asking you to download a PDF.

• The Slow Dinner Ritual: No Pinterest-worthy plating required. Just a simple meal cooked with love.

Your Mental Reset

When you first start this practice of being still and listening to only silience, our inner world can start to feel really loud. It's normal to feel uncomfortable and have our mind fall back into the habit of running a thought marathon where you're reliving every conversation you had from the days before or getting stuck in thought loop patterns where you feel like you're stuck on a wheel having the same thoughts over and over.

This is completely normal. Your brain and body have become accustom to the fast-paced, go-go-go feelings of what you've just been through. We're creatures of habit after all! Instead of giving into the need to fill the void when this happens, follow these simple 7 steps for a mental reset:

1. Just pause.

2. Put your hands on your heart.

3. Plant your feel firmly on the ground. (Close your eyes if you wish.)

4. Take a deep breath, and bring your focus from your head, into your hips.

5. Breath deeply for a few minutes into your hips.

6. Once you feel your full focus in your hips, bring your awareness to your feet and feel your focus go from your feet out into the Earth where your feet meet the ground.

7. Allow your focus to travel deeper and deeper into the earth, bringing you a sense of calm and groundedness.

We don't have to fill the void. We just have to retrain our brain and body to know that it's ok to be still and it's ok to be in the silence.

The Takeaway

Life as a working mom is a beautiful, chaotic dance between career, family, and personal sanity. When you’ve sprinted through the chaos, resist the urge to fill the void with more. Instead, embrace the quiet, the mundane, and the everyday.

“Chop wood, carry water” isn’t just an ancient proverb; it’s your permission slip to pause. And as you rediscover the beauty in the basics, you’ll find your balance again—ready for whatever life (or the next school project) throws at you.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to chop some metaphorical wood. If you don’t hear from me, assume I got lost somewhere between the laundry pile and a Zoom meeting 🫠.

Workplace Wellness That Actually Works

(Because Your Employees Aren’t Robots… Yet.)

Your team isn’t struggling because they lack skills—they’re drowning in stress, miscommunication, and endless meetings that should have been emails. If you want a high-performing, engaged workforce (with fewer passive-aggressive email chains), it’s time for a smarter approach to workplace wellness.

Solutions That Actually Make a Difference

🚨 For Companies That Need a Full Overhaul

If burnout, inefficiency, and disengagement are your company’s daily reality, Workplace Overhaul is a hands-on, deep-dive intervention designed to fix workplace dysfunction at the root.

📲 Need Something Self-Paced?

For teams that need practical leadership, communication, and stress management tools without a full reset, our On-Demand Workplace Survival Kit offers instant access to sanity-saving strategies—without adding to the workload.

Take the First Step:

✔ Apply for Workplace Overhaul – If your workplace needs a serious transformation, let’s talk.

✔ Get the Workplace Survival Kit – Give your team the tools to work smarter, lead better, and reduce stress today.

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Explore Solutions Now

(Because hoping things improve isn’t a strategy.)

About the Author

Phallyn is a corporate veteran turned workplace wellness expert with over a decade of experience in high-pressure environments. Certified in Feng Shui and hypnotherapy, she transformed her own burnout into a career helping businesses build healthier, more effective teams—without outdated corporate fluff. Through humor, honesty, and real-world strategies, she’s here to make work work better.

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✨ Work doesn’t have to feel like an endurance test. Let’s change the game—together 🙌🏼.