3 Ways Moms Can Rest
The crazy gift-buying season is almost over. Soon, you’ll put away the Christmas tree and store the tinsel. Your home will downshift from holiday crazy to normal crazy. And when that shift to normal returns, it will be time to open the gift you gave yourself—permission to rest and reflect.
When I was knee-deep in the diaper days, the holiday season was magical. But almost every year, I’d get sick, either before Santa arrived or soon thereafter. Mama always told me, “It’s exhaustion. You need to take better care of yourself.” While it didn’t help that kids are a walking-talking germ factory, she was right. Being exhausted does make it easier for the germs to take you down. At the time, however, I thought her advice was old-fashioned.
Years later, I realized her advice was sage. You do need to rest and refresh yourself for the journey. Here’s how.
3 Ways Moms Can Rest
- Schedule breaks. If you’ve ever had a paying job, you know hourly workers must take rest breaks. Most salaried jobs have a lunch break. Rest is like recharging your phone. You understand the importance of that daily activity. Well, your body and mind need recharging, too. Use your phone’s calendar and schedule short rest breaks. For example, while your child naps. The laundry will wait. Your mental wellness is more important.
- Seek help. A coffee date with friends, some reading time in the park, or a quick decompression nap in the car are all things you can do if you have a babysitter for an hour or two. If your husband will help, take time for yourself. You do not need to schedule a trip to the zoo, a coffee-sipping date with your husband and baby, or anything else. Your hubby and baby would love to stay home and lounge in their pajamas while you do something for yourself.
- Permit yourself. Social media influencers negatively impact many young moms. My kids are grown, and I even doubt my abilities while scrolling. I know it’s all staged perfectly, but doubt creeps into my heart, making me anxious and sad. Permit yourself to unfollow, block, and do whatever you can to stop scrolling and doubting your worth. It isn’t easy, but give yourself the gift of permission to stop caring about what others are doing.
If your mother tells you to schedule less busyness and rest and relax more, take her advice. She’s trying to save you from mistakes she made.
And if she’s not telling you to slow down, listen to me. My grandmother used to say, “If you burn the candle at both ends, you’ll eventually get burned.” I got burned when my physical and mental exhaustion morphed into generalized anxiety and panic attacks. I don’t want that to happen to you.
If you need more rest, and honestly who doesn’t, which of the above three things can you begin today?
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(Photo: Canva)
