Annika Savage, Occupational Therapist

Annika Savage, Occupational Therapist Co-creating supportive communities, empowered families, thriving children Walking with you towards balance and fulfilment.

“I'm tired,” the mother said softly. Not from caring for her special needs child. But weary from all the advocating, exp...
28/10/2025

“I'm tired,” the mother said softly. Not from caring for her special needs child. But weary from all the advocating, explaining, and fighting to be heard.

After listening to her story, we spoke about sufficient grace. The kind that meets us in the middle of exhaustion, when we’ve run out of words and strength.

Sometimes grace doesn’t look like everything being fixed.
Maybe it looks like enough for today.
Maybe a helping hand.
A gentle smile.
Just enough to try again, to hope again, to keep loving in the face of resistance.

Perhaps she needed that message today.
Perhaps I did.
What I know is we shared a beautiful moment that filled both our cups a little bit.

God’s promise still stands: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9) The God who paints the details on flowers, cares about the details of my life too.

If you’re carrying this kind of tired, may today’s grace be sufficient for you too.

With gentle strength,
Annika

Spring always feels like a season of new beginnings 🌸🌱For a long time, my work has been rooted in supporting caregivers,...
16/09/2025

Spring always feels like a season of new beginnings 🌸🌱

For a long time, my work has been rooted in supporting caregivers, teachers, and families with tools for stress, reflection, and growth. That part of me isn’t ending - the resources on my website and the reflections I share here will remain.

But just like the season, my own journey is blossoming into something new. I’ve stepped into a role that’s less about working only with individuals, and more about co-creating communities where children and families can truly thrive.

This new season looks like:
💛 Developing programmes that strengthen communities from the ground up
💛 Training and mentoring teachers to better identify, support and integrate children with special needs in their classrooms
💛 Assessing and supporting children in their early years
💛 Walking alongside parents as they nurture both their little ones and themselves

It feels like growth, a widening circle, not a departure.

Thank you for being here as my work unfolds into this new chapter. I can’t wait to keep sharing resources, reflections, and stories with you as we grow together.

🌱 Spring brings change: new classes, concerts, shifting routines. For little ones, that can feel big.Your calm presence,...
16/09/2025

🌱 Spring brings change: new classes, concerts, shifting routines. For little ones, that can feel big.

Your calm presence, steady rhythms, and gentle words are the anchor they need. 💛

Change feels hard, but it’s also how resilience grows.

Some days you’re holding it all together with threadbare strength. Still, you show up. Still, you care. Still, you hold ...
21/05/2025

Some days you’re holding it all together with threadbare strength. Still, you show up. Still, you care. Still, you hold space for others. And somehow keep a little room for yourself too.

This quiet resilience? It counts. It’s enough.

Be kind to yourself today. You’re doing more than enough - and you matter more than you know.

With gentle strength,
Annika

I've come to understand burnout as not just a “mental health issue,” but a full-body, life-wide disconnection from susta...
13/05/2025

I've come to understand burnout as not just a “mental health issue,” but a full-body, life-wide disconnection from sustainability and meaning.

There was a time I was showing up for everyone (clients, family, business) yet slowly becoming disconnected from myself.

I felt like I had all the tools (after all, this is my field!), and yet, I couldn’t access them.

That’s what burnout does.

It narrows your capacity, not just physically, but emotionally and cognitively too.

Recovery didn’t come from pushing harder. It came from pausing with purpose, from learning to listen to and trust my body again, from reconnecting to values that actually mattered.

In my latest blog post I share 5 strategies that helped me move from burnout to balance. I hope you find them useful too: https://annikasavage.com/post/burnout-when-rest-doesnt-feel-like-enough/

With gentle strength,
Annika

Today, while hanging up the washing, I kept stepping on a sticker one of the girls had dropped.I’d peel it off, carry on...
14/04/2025

Today, while hanging up the washing, I kept stepping on a sticker one of the girls had dropped.

I’d peel it off, carry on hanging, then, sure as bob, I’d step on it again. After the third time, I finally walked it over to the bin before returning to finish the laundry.

And suddenly, it hit me: this is exactly what it’s like when we try to ignore or suppress our emotions.

If you brush them off quickly - distract yourself, intellectualise them, or tell yourself you shouldn’t be feeling this way - it’s like flicking the sticker off and hoping it stays gone. But emotions, like that stubborn sticker, don’t just disappear. They stick to you, resurface, and demand your attention - again and again.

Sometimes you get so tired of stepping on them that you start avoiding whole areas of life. Certain people, situations, memories; anything that might trigger that stuck feeling. But what does it cost you to keep avoiding?

The more helpful approach (though often the harder one) is to pause. Feel. Observe. Process. Like picking up the sticker properly and putting it in the bin. It takes a moment of presence, but then you can move forward freely.

One of my favourite parts of being an OT is offering people that safe space to pause, reflect, and process - without judgement or pressure. And I love how something as simple as a morning chore can bring unexpected clarity. So I thought I’d share this little moment with you too.

Engaged minds, enriched lives.I’m passionate about supporting older adults with mental wellbeing and cognitive stimulati...
09/04/2025

Engaged minds, enriched lives.
I’m passionate about supporting older adults with mental wellbeing and cognitive stimulation that goes beyond just “keeping busy.”

Through meaningful activities and compassionate care, I help seniors stay mentally engaged, emotionally supported, and connected to the things that matter most.

Based in Pietermaritzburg, with home visits available in Hilton and Howick.

If you or someone you love could benefit from this kind of support, feel free to reach out. I’d be honoured to help.

📞 083 612 0630
✉️ annika@annikasavage.com
💻 www.annikasavage.com

Maybe you're constantly exhausted and overwhelmed……because you feel everything so deeply, and the world isn’t built for ...
25/03/2025

Maybe you're constantly exhausted and overwhelmed…

…because you feel everything so deeply, and the world isn’t built for that level of intensity.

You’ve spent your whole life being the “strong one,” the one who understands, who listens, who fixes. But deep down, you wish someone would do the same for you.

You’re always aware of everyone else’s needs, emotions, and energy. You don’t even realise how often you push your own aside just to keep the peace.

You tell yourself, “I should be able to handle this.” But the truth is, handling it alone isn’t the answer.

I help highly sensitive people like you reclaim your energy, set boundaries without guilt, and build emotional resilience - without shutting down the part of you that cares so deeply.

Because being sensitive isn’t the problem. Not having the right tools to manage it is.

If this sounds familiar, let’s chat. I offer one-on-one therapy and coaching to help you move from overwhelmed to empowered.

Comment 'Empower' and I'll send you the link to book a free exploratory chat with me.


Occupational therapist
Highly sensitive people
Emotional regulation skills
Interpersonal skills
Tools to thrive

Having been in KZN for 3 months now, this is as good a time as any to reintroduce myself and my passions to you. Hi, I’m...
13/03/2025

Having been in KZN for 3 months now, this is as good a time as any to reintroduce myself and my passions to you.

Hi, I’m Annika Savage, an occupational therapist passionate about helping people navigate life’s challenges with resilience, balance, and a sense of purpose. 💚

I work with professionals, caregivers, and community leaders who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. Whether you're juggling multiple responsibilities, supporting a loved one with a disability, or struggling with your own mental health, you don’t have to do this alone.

I also have a special interest in working directly with people with dementia, helping them maintain cognitive function and improve their quality of life through meaningful engagement and stimulation. Because every person, no matter their diagnosis, deserves moments of joy, dignity, and connection.

Through a blend of therapy, coaching, and training, I help my clients regain clarity, build emotional resilience, and develop the practical skills they need to not just survive - but truly thrive.

Here, you’ll find expert guidance, compassionate support, and actionable strategies to create a life that feels more sustainable and fulfilling. If you're ready to take that first step toward balance and wellbeing, I’d love to walk this journey with you.

Follow along for practical tips, mindset shifts, and encouragement - and if you’d like to connect, send me an email. You are not alone, and together, we can create a path forward. 🌱

One of my biggest passions, is working with older people and their families. Here is a summary of OT's role in older peo...
14/12/2024

One of my biggest passions, is working with older people and their families. Here is a summary of OT's role in older people's lives 🌳

Today was my last OT day in Piet Retief. As I close this chapter, my heart is filled with profound gratitude. I have had...
28/11/2024

Today was my last OT day in Piet Retief. As I close this chapter, my heart is filled with profound gratitude. I have had the honor of walking alongside people, sowing seeds of growth, healing, and hope. Occupational therapy is more than a career - it is a sacred opportunity to connect, to give of myself, and to witness the strength of the human spirit.

Each session, each story, and each breakthrough has left a mark on me. The resilience, courage, and determination I’ve seen in my clients (and their families) have been the greatest teachers. They’ve shown me what it means to face challenges with grace, and I am forever changed by the trust they’ve placed in me.

Change is never easy, but it’s often the gateway to new possibilities. While this chapter ends, the lessons, connections, and memories remain, lighting the way forward.

A quote that was given to us as first year OT students and that I carry with me to this day, is by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Thank you for allowing me to succeed in this way. It has been my greatest privilege. Here’s to embracing new beginnings while cherishing the past.

Yesterday we had the most beautiful double rainbow at our home! The girls were so excited and spontaneously started danc...
13/11/2024

Yesterday we had the most beautiful double rainbow at our home! The girls were so excited and spontaneously started dancing despite the drizzle. In this moment I felt immense gratitude and I was filled with a sense of wonder.

The reality is that the past two weeks have been difficult for me. Sickness and a potential medical condition mixed in with packing up the only home the girls have known, starting the process of handing over my clients, and my husband working away for a week.

But then, the rainbows! 🌈

And a moment of quiet.

With my daughters reminding me of the value of appreciating the beauty in our lives, despite the drizzle. Because my life is full and beautiful and in a lot of ways everything I've dreamed of.

Yes, this is a difficult season of goodbyes and grief for what we've had and known, but there is space for hope and excitement for what is in store for us.

Grief AND Joy
Sadness AND Excitement
Loss AND Gain

Perhaps now is a good time for you to pause and reflect on the beauty in your life?

Address

Pietermaritzburg
3201

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+27836120630

Website

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