A Lesson in Self-Acceptance

 

Back in 2019, during my maternity break, I decided to join my team for an office retreat. My daughter was just five months old, and though motherhood had filled me with love, staying indoors day after day had begun to feel stifling. I missed the buzz of work, the energy of my team, and the small talk over chai. So, when the chance to attend the retreat came up, I took it.

On the first day, our business leader asked each of us to pick an object around us—something that symbolically represented who we were at that moment. The responses were beautiful. One colleague said they were like a tree, grounded and nurturing. Another felt like the weather—sometimes sunny, sometimes stormy. Someone said they were a pen, full of ideas. Another felt like a blank page, open to new beginnings.

When it was my turn, I chose something unexpected. I had been watching the little pond nearby, filled with colorful fishes trapped inside its stone walls. I said, “I feel like one of those fishes—alive, vibrant, but confined. Swimming in circles, unable to explore beyond.”

That moment opened up something in me. It was the first time I used a metaphor to express how I felt—and perhaps, the first time I allowed myself to acknowledge those feelings. At the time, I judged myself harshly. Was I a bad mother for craving freedom so soon?

Now, I look back at that version of me with grace. I wasn’t a bad mother—I was just a whole human being. And that’s okay.

What object or element around you represents how you feel today? Drop your answers in the comments.

Curious for more reflective reads? 

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