Emotional Safety - the foundation for everything else
Growing from a place of overwhelm to a state of being self and self-guided…
Emotional safety is not about always feeling calm or positive - It’s about knowing that your internal experience is allowed—without judgment, minimization, or pressure to “fix it” quickly.
In early parenthood, emotional safety often becomes fragile. Sleep deprivation, identity shifts, physical recovery, and responsibility for a new life can make even steady people feel unrecognizable to themselves.
A simple roadmap for rebuilding emotional safety:
Notice before naming. Instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?”, try “What is my body or nervous system responding to right now?” or “What thoughts am I having, what sensations am I experiencing, or where in my body is the source of tension?” Get curious, not judgmental.
Contain, don’t eliminate. You don’t need emotions to disappear—just to feel held and have them be manageable. This can be accomplished by allowing moments to move through you without losing control. For instance, name the feeling (I am frustrated), or the physical experience (I am clenching my jaw), and identify the thought (I am thinking about how angry I am that this is happening) is more about self-recognition and making yourself feel safe and validated without the need for someone else to rescue you. This simple process is a step to give the moment its edges so it doesn’t run wild on its own.
Anchor to one safe signal. This might be an activity, a self-care practice, a person, a daily routine, a grounding activity, or even a phrase you repeat when things feel wobbly. Examples of this include taking a deep, rhythmic breath, reciting an affirmation statement, a journal entry, a self-compression, or even a prayer or phone call to release the emotion and center yourself back into the moment.
Emotional safety is preventative care. When it’s present, everything else—regulation, attachment, confidence—has a place to land.
