Vanlife taught me a lot about motherhood long before I became a mother — especially what it means to live inside constant waves of stimulation, uncertainty, beauty, discomfort, and awe. I loved the bumpy forest roads, the sudden downpours, the sweat, the breakdowns, the way life felt so alive inside a little tin home on wheels.Vanlife taught me a lot about motherhood long before I became a mother — especially what it means to live inside constant waves of stimulation, uncertainty, beauty, discomfort, and awe. I loved the bumpy forest roads, the sudden downpours, the sweat, the breakdowns, the way life felt so alive inside a little tin home on wheels.
But I also learned something crucial: chronic discomfort becomes chronic stress — and chronic stress leads to burnout.
I found that out the hard way, more than once.
One of the simplest and most powerful tools I discovered during those years — a tool that still carries me through the beautiful overwhelm of motherhood — is gratitude.
Gratitude is a physiological reset. It shifts the body into a state known as heart-rate coherence, where the nervous system softens, the mind clears, and the heart becomes a steadier guide. In this state, decision-making improves, emotions become more stable, and there’s a deeper sense of connection to yourself and the world around you.
Here’s the 10-minute gratitude practice I leaned on while living on the road — and still return to today as a mother.
10-Minute Gratitude Practice
- Get comfortable. Sitting or lying down is ideal. Use a pillow behind your back or under your neck to gently open your intercostal muscles (the tiny muscles between your ribs that make full, nourishing breaths possible).
- Bring your attention to your breath. Notice where your inhalation moves. Notice where it doesn’t. Sense how your body feels without trying to change anything.
- Gently shift your awareness toward your belly. Place one or both hands (or a soft pillow) over your abdomen to heighten sensation and presence.
- Begin belly breathing. Let your inhale softly expand your lower belly. Let your exhale release without force — simple, natural, effortless.
- Try a 6-second inhale, 6-second exhale. Keep the breath smooth, quiet, and gentle. Many of us over-breathe, thinking deep means big and loud. But unless you’re working with very slow, long breathing (like 30-second cycles), big breaths can actually trigger more stress. Here, focus on less. Soft. Slow. Easy. Let the belly be the only thing that moves.
- Bring to mind one thing you’re grateful for. Don’t overthink it. Go with what rises naturally.
- Engage your senses. Can you see what you’re grateful for? Feel it? Smell it? Hear or taste it? Move carefully through your sensory channels and allow the breath to shift as needed.
- Take one complete wave-like breath. Inhale — belly, then ribs, then chest. Exhale — release everything.
- Optional: Write it down. A gratitude journal helps anchor the experience and slowly rewires the brain toward positivity, steadiness, and resilience.
If you want to learn more about the science of gratitude and heart-rate coherence, I love the teachings at HeartMath® and occasionally use the app Heart Rate Coherence for gentle biofeedback.