A Crisis, A Mother, A New Beginning

What happened when I couldn’t push through, and how it led to a new project that could support someone like you

Be a happier autism mom. 🪄 Radically alchemizing motherhood reshaped by autism into a joyful life that feels deeply mine. Weekly submissions full of authentic self-discovery & personal growth 🌱 along a grounded venture of life design beyond caregiving. About

---

I happily skipped my weekly post last week. Hopefully no one of you noticed. I say "happily" to mean that I readily made the decision to ignore my email list in favor of tending to a higher priority crisis that I had found myself right in the middle of. In fact, I'm only just now approaching the other side of the whole ordeal after I graciously accepted and received some assistance from my mother. It came in the form of her volunteering to take over my housework (tidying, cooking, childcare) while I could only sit nearby in an overstimulated and overwhelmed trance state coupled with some of (plenty of) my hot tears mixed in.

I had quite literally reached my "wit's end" and there was hardly anything left of me after life circumstances had ravaged every bit of my stability and strength to be found. Always an advocate for others, I was in need of someone else standing in the gap to help me this time.

• I tried to write, but the words wouldn't come.

• I tried to carry out my daily routine, but it had become too much for me.

• I tried to show up as a mother, but I found it difficult to align with the role.

• I tried to be who my children needed me to be, but I felt nothing but resentment.

So, in the place of my two hours' worth of dedicated writing time, I could only grieve around the clock and cry for help in the disguise of everyday conversation. And this continued and worsened up until I was heard stating some especially worrisome things that required the intervention of the loved ones around me.

I still do not know if I was experiencing a downward swing in my depressive symptoms, or if it was the depth of burnout reserved for those of us who are tasked with the caregiving required of a special needs parent. If I take a moment to pause and think about this, I arrive at the consideration that it was a combination of those two factors, and more, that all contributed to my quick decline.

On a brighter note, I've recently managed to actually be very productive despite my moods. Only a couple of you know about what I've been up to so far, so I'll go ahead and officially mention it here.

Behind-the-scenes, I've been extremely busy with piecing together another one of my little side passion projects: an private online community specifically to support mothers like myself who have neurodivergent children and who experience all of the coordinating struggles of being such. It's called UnCommon Momma, and I'm so, so proud of and excited by what all I've accomplished towards its conception so far.

The vision for this exclusive, premium community of mine is for it to be a virtual gathering place for caregivers, mothers, and guardians to find much-needed peer support, personal development, self-growth, grounding, education, mentoring, and more as they are held in a dedicated space reserved specifically for them within a society that often denies them a proper space and forgets/ignores them and their voices.

It's a beautiful idea, and I'm executing the entire plan literally from my own lap and with only my two hands. That doesn't go to say that corners will be cut, or that quality will be sacrificed. That is far, far from the truth. I can admit that I do know what I'm doing (at least digitally) as also being an online business management consultant, and much of the work has actually been fun and rewarding to see come together in reality. There is still so much more work to be done before I can officially open the doors, however.

There will be a free and paid tiers for membership which will open up the appropriate level of access to a private community space with forums and private messaging, regular addition of self work content and resources, virtual gatherings, events, and trainings, and anything else that I can make possible. It will be presented as a "micro membership" offer.

If you or anyone else you may know might ever be interested in being a part of something like this in the near future, get on the waitlist while I'm busy wrapping up my big idea into a fully launched and viable product. Or if you have any ideas for what you'd like to see or suggestions of what to include, let me know in the comments section below because I'm listening attentively.

Until next time, take care,

Until next time, take care.

Cheniece ♡

---

UnCommon Design is a publication exploring identity, joy, and personal growth through honest storytelling. Subscribe to receive weekly essays in your inbox and join a community where your whole story belongs.

---

Feel free to contact me for all UnCommon Design-related reasons!

✉️Email Address: hello@uncommonmomma.com
💬Text-in Number: (601) 589-1027 
📞Dial-in Number: (641) 715-3800 Access Code: 250772