Seasons of rest

Seasons of rest 

As moms know, you are never not busy. There is always something to do and more often than not, too little time to do it in.

We are rushed, multitasking, and delegating most of the day. When we aren’t actively making decisions, feeding someone, finding someone’s lost item, and keeping our families alive, we are running our homes and trying to build careers.

We also hold the emotions, well-being, and mental load of our entire family. We’re the project managers of our homes, the emotional anchors, the sounding boards, the planners, the nurturers, and the fixers.

Seems like a lot…

It is! 

However, most women get up daily and get sh*t done, not because we are experts in everything, but simply because if we don’t do it, no one will.

And in this ever-growing to-do list, we often forget to put ourselves and our needs first.

We forget that our dreams, passions, and hobbies are important too, as we try to squeeze a month’s worth of life into a single 24-hour period and then still expect ourselves to sleep and wake up refreshed.

This. Is. Not. Healthy.

Neglecting yourself, overworking, and trying to be superhuman takes a toll emotionally and physically. And the reality is, most of us don’t even notice it’s happening until it’s too late.

My Story
I’ve always run a busy home. I rushed from one activity to the next, lived on two or three hours of sleep, and pushed through the day with sheer willpower because that’s what needed to be done.

Resting was never an option.

Sitting still with a book made me feel anxious and restless. I couldn’t relax. I would agonize over the minutes of “lost productivity” and obsess about the things I wasn’t doing and chores that, if I’m being honest, my husband absolutely could have handled.

Then two years ago, everything changed.

My husband lost his job, and suddenly I worked even harder. I juggled homeschooling, cleaning our home, pushing my business to earn more, supporting my husband through his mental health struggles, taking on more of the decisions, absorbing more of the stress, and sleeping even less.

I told myself it was temporary. “Just until he finds work again.” “Just until next month.” “Just until things level out.”

But a year later, I realized I was still in survival mode. Still juggling more than any one person reasonably should. Still trying to hold everything together while never actually giving myself permission to stop.

Two years later, I finally admitted something needed to give.

I was constantly exhausted,even when I slept well. I was always behind on something. Always rushing. Always trying to catch up just enough to get through until the next day. And then the next one. And then the next.

I was emotionally and physically drained.

However

My business was doing well.
My child was happy and thriving.
My home was clean.
My husband was less stressed.

But

I didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror.

She was sad. Exhausted. Resentful.

She was disappearing.

How I Fixed It

One morning, as I stared at an inbox of 300 unread emails and sipped coffee that wasn’t strong enough to keep my eyes open, I decided something had to change.

So I did something I had never done before—I chose me.

I gave Hamish the day off homeschool and booked an online camera course. Photography has always been something I love, but I had told myself for years I “didn’t have time for it.”

That day, I made time.

I immersed myself in learning. I fed a part of my soul that I had neglected for far too long. I spent the afternoon ignoring my phone, letting the house stay messy, and letting everyone fend for themselves. I didn’t fold laundry. I didn’t plan dinner. I didn’t organize a single thing.

Instead, I took real time out to focus on me ….. my mental health, my passions, my need to breathe.

And in doing so, I discovered something I had forgotten:

There is a woman inside me who is more than a mother, more than a wife, more than a provider.

She is creative, passionate, curious, and deserving of rest.

That day changed everything.

Not overnight, but slowly, gently, intentionally.

Why It’s Important for Moms to Have a Season of Rest

We talk a lot about burnout but rarely talk about the recovery. The truth is, your body and mind cannot run on empty forever. A season of rest isn’t lazy, indulgent, or selfish…..it’s necessary.

Here’s why:

1. Rest Prevents Burnout

You cannot pour from an empty cup. Exhaustion doesn’t just go away by itself—it grows until it becomes burnout. A season of rest allows your body and mind to reset before reaching breaking point.

2. Rest Strengthens Your Identity

So many moms lose themselves in motherhood. Rest gives you space to reconnect with who you are outside your roles. When you rediscover your hobbies, interests, personality, and joy, you show up as a fuller version of yourself.

3. Rest Improves Relationships

When you’re exhausted, everything feels heavier….Every request, every chore, every question. Rest lowers irritability, resentment, and emotional fatigue, allowing you to connect more deeply with your family.

4. Rest Teaches Your Family Balance

Rest is a powerful teacher. When your children see you honoring your needs, they learn to honor their own. When your partner sees you delegating, they learn to step up.

5. Rest Makes You More Productive

Contrary to what we believe, rest isn’t the opposite of productivity,it fuels it. A rested mind works faster, thinks clearer, and handles challenges better.

6. Rest Allows Healing

Whether it’s emotional wounds, physical exhaustion, or mental overload, rest creates the space for you to heal without guilt.

You deserve that.

 

Tips to Help Moms Reconnect With Themselves

Rest isn’t just sitting still. It’s reconnecting with the parts of yourself that have been buried under responsibilities.

So, if you are an overwhelmed, exhausted mom looking to reset, here are some practical ways, that helped me to do just that.

1. Start With 10 Minutes a Day
You do not need a day off or a weekend retreat. Start with ten intentional minutes.Ten minutes to breathe, stretch, journal, drink tea, or sit in silence.

Those ten minutes will grow. And more importantly, they’ll teach your brain that you are allowed to stop.

2. Revisit Something You Loved Before Motherhood
Think back to who you were before the diapers, schedules, and chaos.

What did you enjoy?
What excited you?
What made time disappear?

Photography, painting, dancing, baking, hiking, writing, crafting. Whatever it was, try it again. Reignite your spark.

3. Say No Without Apology

“No” is a complete sentence.
“No” does not make you difficult.
“No” protects your energy, your time, and your sanity.

You don’t owe anyone a justification for putting yourself first sometimes.Not even your family.

4. Delegate and Let It Be Done Imperfectly

Many moms struggle to delegate tasks, not because no one can help, but because no one else does things “right.”

But perfection is the enemy of rest.

Let your partner load the dishwasher their way.
Let your children fold clothes messily.
Let the toys be put away in the wrong bins.

After all a task done is better than exhaustion over trying to be perfect.

5. Create a Weekly “Me Hour”

Choose one hour a week where everyone knows mom is off-duty and unless the house is on fire protect this time fiercely. Use it for something that makes you feel alive. Do not use your time for chores or errands.

6. Schedule Rest Like an Appointment

You schedule school runs, meetings, appointments, extracurriculars, why not schedule rest?

 

Rest is not on the calendar!

and

that’s why it never happens.

Make a point of scheduling your rest time
Write it in.
Block it out.
Treat it as non-negotiable.

7. Ask for Help (And Accept It)

This is one of the hardest things for many moms but asking for help is not weakness. It is infact wisdom.

Whether it’s your partner, a friend, a sibling, or a babysitter, allow others to support you.

You do not need to carry everything alone.

8. Stop Tying Your Worth to Productivity

So many of us moms do this! You are not valuable because of how much you do.

You are actually valuable because of who you are.

Rest reminds you of that.

9. Spend Time Alone

Alone time is not a luxury. It’s essential. It allows you to hear your own thoughts, focus on your dreams and list your desires without the noise of everyone else’s needs consuming your attention. It allows you to hear yourself in a busy world.

Even just 30 minutes alone time can shift your entire day.

10. Reflect

Putting all of these things into action is baseless of you are not consistently asking yourself questions that may be hard like

What do I need today?

What can I let go of?

What can someone else do?

What would bring me joy?

What would make life easier?

As moms and wives weve been conditioned to selflessly think of our entire families first, often going a lifetime without ever focusing on ourselves.

These types of questions reconnect you with your own voice. The one that often gets drowned out.

You Deserve Your Own Season

Taking that one photography course didn’t magically fix everything in my life. But it was the beginning of something bigger….. a season of rest, rediscovery, and healing.

I started giving myself permission to slow down.
To pursue things I loved.
To stop rescuing everyone from every problem.
To delegate chores so that our family workloads were even.
To let myself be a human being….not a machine.

And over time, something beautiful happened.

I became happier.
More present.
More myself.

My family noticed…. truthfully, they noticed the boundries I set more as they’d become so conditioned to me just doing everything . They noticed I demanded more from them. They noticed that they are a part in our home and had responsibilities and chores that they were more than capable of dealing with. They noticed I no longer called twice or reheated food. I no longer worried who forgot things and I was quite happy for them to each do their own laundry. (Not Hamish yet as he’s only 9 but my husband  and the bigger boys , in their 20’s living at home)

My work improved.I was able to focus more. Spend more time on work as I no longer was the only one washing dishes, doing laundry or sweeping floors. I wasn’t trying to single handedly juggle the mental load of 6 people and run a business.

My home felt calmer for me.

Why?

Because when a mother rests, the whole house breathes easier.

 

Final Thoughts
Motherhood will always be busy. There will always be more to do, more to fix, more to handle. But you don’t have to sacrifice yourself on the altar of being busy.

You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to have dreams.
You are allowed to take time for yourself.
You are allowed to be a whole person ….not just a caregiver.

A season of rest isn’t a pause in your life
it’s the part that keeps you alive.

And

You deserve it.