The Mindful Midlife Mom - Mindfulness Practices and Techniques for Mentally Exhausted Moms in the Sandwich Generation
Are you an overstretched midlife mom juggling kids and aging parents while feeling mentally exhausted and losing yourself in the process?
You're not alone in this overwhelming season. As someone currently living in the sandwich generation with my dad in assisted living while my kids are in school, I understand the unique burnout that comes from caring for everyone except yourself.
This show offers practical mindfulness tools specifically designed for moms navigating caregiving responsibilities while raising kids.
Tune in twice a week for:
- Sundays: 20-minute episodes addressing common midlife challenges with practical strategies plus a featured mindfulness practice (affirmations, mantras, or meditations)
- Wednesdays: Short guided practice sessions to reinforce Sunday's mindfulness technique and reset your week
These bite-sized practices fit into your chaotic schedule and help you show up as the calm, present mom you want to be.
Start with our fan-favorite Episode 97: "Midlife Slump? You Deserve Better— 'I Am' Affirmations for Self Worth" to begin transforming how you see yourself today.
The Mindful Midlife Mom - Mindfulness Practices and Techniques for Mentally Exhausted Moms in the Sandwich Generation
140 | Feeling Numb? Understanding Caregiver Burnout vs. Compassion Fatigue in Midlife
Have you ever looked at a loved one in crisis and realized... you just don't feel anything? No anger, no sadness—just a hollow, empty numbness? If you feel like your heart has gone into "power-save mode," you aren't a bad person. You are likely experiencing compassion fatigue in the sandwich generation.
In this episode, Valerie Mekki breaks down why the "Good Daughter" and "Good Mom" masks can lead to emotional exhaustion. We explore the biological reality of compassion fatigue and how it differs from traditional caregiver burnout. Using the analogy of an emotional battery, Valerie shares how your brain "unplugs" your empathy to protect you from total collapse—and how you can intentionally plug back in.
We wrap up with 10 powerful "I Am" mantras for midlife moms designed to shift you from depletion to self-compassion.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- Power-Save Mode: Why emotional numbness is a biological safety mechanism, not a character flaw.
- Tasks vs. Feelings: The crucial difference between task-based burnout and the emotional drain of compassion fatigue.
- The "Off-Duty" Mindset: How to signal to your nervous system that it is safe to stop scanning for others' needs.
- 10 Powerful ‘I Am’ mantras to help recharge your emotional battery.
Resources & Links:
The Calm Kit: Download your free "10-Minute Calm Kit for Sandwich Generation Moms" - click HERE
Newsletter: Join the "Oh Hello Midlife" community for weekly reset rituals.
Instagram: Connect with Valerie @mindfullifechanges
You’re listening to the right show, formerly known as the Mindful Life Changes or Mindful Career Change. We’ve pivoted through the years, but finally landed on the right path: content for moms in the ‘Sandwich Generation’, because midlife disruption doesn't have to break you.
New episodes drop on:
- Sundays: 20-min episodes addressing common midlife challenges with practical strategies plus a mindfulness practice (affirmations, mantras, or meditations)
- Wednesdays: Bite-sized episodes to reinforce Sunday's mindfulness technique & reset your week
More from The Mindful Midlife Mom:
Discover Valerie's articles on ohhellomidlife.com or watch her videos on YouTube @ohhellomidlife
This podcast explores patience, meditation, confidence, presence, and overcoming resentment while cultivating calm, peace, mindfulness, clarity, mantras, and addressing loneliness and burn out; it covers boundaries, caregiving, guilt, affirmations, working moms, self-care, midlife crisis, empty nesters, empowerment, people pleasing, compassion fatigue, family caregiving, stress relief, self-worth, stress management, and how to shift from reactive to centered when feeling short tempered, offering tools for self acceptance, easing mental exhaustion, building emotional resilience, harnessing inner strength, and preventing caregiver fatigue for those in the sandwich generation through expert advice on boundaries setting.