Tania van Zyl Occupational Therapy

31/08/2026

I am looking forward to presenting this session this coming Saturday

Who were you before everyone called you Mom? And who are you now?

This Saturday session is an opportunity to explore that question — not because motherhood should become less important, but because being a mother does not require us to stop being whole people with our own identities, interests, values and needs.

We’ll talk about the roles we carry, the expectations we place on ourselves, and how we can make space for ourselves while remaining connected and present in our families.

Motherhood Without Losing Yourself
📅 5 September 2026 | 09:00–11:00
📍 Newlands, Pretoria
🎟️ R150 | Book via Quicket
https://qkt.io/8PmjGf

A small, informal and reflective space for mothers of children of any age.

If you know a mom who might value this conversation, please feel free to share it with her.

11/08/2026

I am looking forward to facilitating this Saturday’s session on motherhood without losing yourself.

Over the past month, GrowingSpace hosted our first three-part Saturday Series.

We started with Finding Your Rhythm, followed by sessions exploring Self Talk and Communication & Conflict.

Across the three Saturdays, we welcomed 15 participants, with many choosing to attend the full series.

What stood out most in the feedback was the value participants found in the discussion and interaction with others. The content created a starting point, but much of the learning happened in the conversations that followed — hearing different perspectives, sharing experiences and having the opportunity to think things through together.

One of the most consistent suggestions was simple: the sessions could be longer.

For us, this confirms something important about what we hoped to create with the Saturday Series. People are looking for spaces where they can learn about relevant mental health and relationship topics, while also having the opportunity to participate in meaningful discussion.

This Saturday, 15 August, we start Series 2, with a focus on the roles we occupy and how these influence our wellbeing, relationships and sense of self.

We begin with:

Motherhood Without Losing Yourself
Saturday, 15 August | 09:00–11:00
GrowingSpace, 261 Lois Ave, Newlands, Pretoria

A conversation about the demands of motherhood, the many roles mothers carry, and what happens when caring for everyone else gradually leaves too little capacity for yourself.

Series 2 continues with:
22 August - The Terrible Teens: Parents & Teens Today
29 August - Navigating the Hidden Hazards of Being Male

Bookings are available through Quicket at R150 per session or R400 for all three sessions. https://qkt.io/8PmjGf

13/07/2026

GrowingSpace Saturday Sessions

Small group workshops for everyday mental wellbeing.

GrowingSpace Saturday Sessions is a series of practical, interactive workshops facilitated by experienced mental health professionals, including an Occupational Therapist, Counselling Psychologist and Registered Counsellor.

Each session explores a different aspect of mental wellbeing, relationships and everyday life, combining evidence-informed knowledge with practical tools you can begin using immediately.

Whether you’re navigating a busy season, wanting to improve your relationships, or simply investing in your own wellbeing, these workshops provide a supportive space to learn, reflect and connect.

✔ Small groups (4–12 participants)
✔ Interactive discussions and practical activities
✔ Printed take-home resources
✔ Attend individual sessions or complete an entire series

Venue: Block C, Newlands Office Park, 261 Lois Avenue, Newlands, Pretoria
Time: Saturdays | 09:00–11:00

Contact us for more information on: wa.me/27795161543

09/07/2026

13/04/2026

Feeling a little stretched, tired, or just not quite like yourself lately?

Between caring for everyone else and keeping up with daily life, it’s easy for your own needs to quietly move to the bottom of the list. Not intentionally, it just happens.

If this resonates, you’re not alone 🤍

Sometimes what we need isn’t a big change… just a moment to pause, reset, and find our footing again.

That’s why we’re sharing the Recalibrate Program, a gentle, supportive space designed to help you reconnect with yourself, manage overwhelm, and create more balance in a way that actually feels doable. 🌿

• Practical tools for everyday stress 🧘🏽‍♀️
• Space to reflect and breathe. 🤔
• Support to find a rhythm that works for you 🗓️

No pressure. No expectations. Just a starting point if you feel ready.

📩 You’re welcome to reach out if you’d like to know more.
Please contact me if you have any questions wa.me/27795161543

23/02/2026

You can be successful… and still be exhausted.

You can have the awards, the promotions, the impressive CV - and still feel like you’re slowly running on empty.

High performers are often the last to notice their own depletion.

You push through.
You take responsibility.
You tell yourself it’s “just a busy season.”
You postpone rest because there’s always one more deadline.

And somewhere along the way, work becomes the place where you feel most competent, even as it takes more and more from you.

Maybe you’ve started noticing:
• Irritability where you used to feel steady
• Conflict that feels harder to manage
• Guilt about not being fully present at home
• A quiet thought: “I shouldn’t be this tired.”

From an occupational perspective, this isn’t weakness.

It’s a sign that your roles are out of balance.

Work is meant to be meaningful — not consuming.
Achievement is meant to expand your life — not replace it.

If you can’t remember the last time you truly rested, that’s not a personal failure.

It might simply be time to ask:

What is this pace costing me, and is it sustainable?

Sometimes strength is not in enduring more.

It’s in choosing to restore balance before your body, your relationships, or your work begin to force it.

If you’d like support in rebalancing your roles before they rebalance you, I’m always open to a conversation.

20/02/2026

When capacity changes, we adjust.

This week reminded me that regulation isn’t about doing more.
It’s about responding to what the moment requires.

Monday felt steady. There was space. Even adding something extra seemed possible.

By Tuesday, the load had shifted.
New academic demands. Increased cognitive strain. Tasks I had been postponing could no longer wait.

So I adjusted.

I reduced what wasn’t essential.
I simplified supper.
I allowed more screen time than ideal.
I let “good enough” be enough.

In occupational therapy we speak about the relationship between the person, the task, and the environment. When one changes, the others must adapt.

Capacity is not fixed.
Energy is not linear.
Functioning is contextual.

Sometimes growth looks like stretching.
Sometimes it looks like reducing the load.

Both are regulation.

This week, less was enough.

14/02/2026

What if self-love looked different this Valentine’s Day?

Not flowers.
Not indulgence.
Not “treat yourself.”

But attunement.

Self-love might look like:
• Saying no when your capacity is low
• Planning around your energy — not pressure
• Resting without earning it
• Doing less, on purpose

Finding your rhythm is an act of self-respect.

It’s noticing whether you’re stretched, steady, or depleted — and responding with kindness instead of criticism.

At Growingspace, we believe sustainable growth doesn’t come from pushing harder.
It comes from listening deeper.

❤️ If you’re craving clarity and direction — without burnout — our Finding Your Rhythm workshop creates space for exactly that.

06/02/2026

When Life Loses Its Rhythm

Some days don’t slowly go off track — they suddenly knock us off balance.

A difficult conversation with a school.
A child reacting to an adult who felt overwhelmed.
A teenager in tears because what they experienced was dismissed.
A parent stepping in, again, to protect emotional safety.

This is how rhythm gets disrupted.

Not because anyone is “failing”, but because relationships matter — and when regulation, understanding, or repair is missing, our whole system feels it.

Children rely on adults to stay steady.
Teenagers need their reality acknowledged.
Parents carry the emotional weight of holding everyone together.

When these moments happen, it affects sleep, focus, work, patience, and connection.
We feel unsettled, irritable, exhausted — not because we’re weak, but because our rhythm has been interrupted.

I often speak about rhythm as more than routine.
It’s about emotional safety, predictability, and being met where you are.

Sometimes restoring rhythm doesn’t mean fixing everything.
It simply means:
• Naming what felt wrong
• Standing up when something doesn’t sit right
• Allowing space for repair

If life feels off-beat lately, it may not be you.
It may be that your system is responding exactly as it should to disruption.

And that’s where support, reflection, and gentle re-alignment can begin.

04/02/2026

February isn’t for reinvention — it’s for finding your rhythm.

With routines settling and the year properly underway, this is the moment to step back, plan in 90-day cycles, and focus on what truly deserves your energy. Sustainable progress comes from rhythm, not pressure.

What are you choosing to prioritise this quarter?