As moms, it feels like we are always working. When do you have a moment to take a break? Whether you are working with a client, teaching your kids, or keeping the clutter from overtaking the house. It is always go, go, go. And it is so difficult to stop because there is always one more thing to do, and if you don’t do it, who will?
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It is hard to turn off your constantly moving mind, but it is important to figure out how to because you need to recharge. You need to give your mind, body, and emotions a chance to recuperate and recover. When you work so hard getting all the things done and you don’t take a break your body never has a chance to do this, and you are approaching your next project burnt out. You are unable to give your best, if you are still tired and worn out from the last thing you did.
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.
Anne Lamott
Learning to Take a Break is a Skill We all Need to Learn
I need to add this because I am terrible at stopping or taking a break. This post is as much for me as it is for you. I am writing to myself too. So banish the mom guilt. If you have a hard time slowing down or recharging, then know you aren’t alone.
It is so hard to stop and recharge because there is always something else to do. My husband is always telling me to give up the idea of reaching this magical place of everything being done, and I have nothing to do. It is never going to happen, no matter how hard I work, so stop trying. Despite all this advice, I still keep trying.
Am I the only one that laughs at titles like Teaching from Rest, A Simplified Life, Busy Homeschool’s Mom Guide to Daylight, or The Hurried Homeschooler. Now these books may be great, I really can’t say either way because I never read them. I am just not convinced that they will deliver on the promise in the titles…and I have other things to read.
This is my confession. I just want to give you an idea of the kind of mom I am. But I need to learn how to take a break too.
How to Take a Break When There is so Much Going on
You hear the terms “me time” or “self-care”. I have to be honest, I hate these terms because they sound selfish and sometimes can be—not always though. So I am going to call it recharging (unless you have a better word to describe it). I think this best describes what we need to do—take a break to replenish our energy.
If you are like me, whenever I hear this I want to scream but how!? Even taking a day off throws the schedule off so badly it takes a week or two to get caught up. Is taking a break ever worth the domino effect of stress that this causes?
So what do we do? It seems like damned if we do damned if we don’t.
Why is Taking a Break Important
Learning to take a break will affect your mental and physical health and protects your brain functions as you age. That is great motivation right there. It is important to be engaged in physical leisure activities, instead of watching a screen. Yes, sitting in the bath counts as a physical leisure activity.
The benefits of engaging in leisure activities are better problem solving, improved work ethic (which is always a good thing as a virtual assistant), and improved creativity. Enjoying a leisure activity that involves solitude will really increase your creative output.
3 Ideas to Take a Break
Yes, mom it is not easy to find time to take a break. So I am not going to say you need to take hours, just find some time throughout your day for solitude and downtime—even if it is just a few minutes.
I have 3 ideas for you. I won’t call them solutions because ultimately you have to find the right solution for yourself and family. But it helps to hear other ideas.
1. Find books you enjoy
Yes, this will always be my number 1 downtime suggestion. It is my favorite thing to do to take a break. Books reduce stress. So if you need to take a break, read a good book.
2. Take small breaks alone
Even if you have to put a sign on the bathroom door or treat yourself to a treat in the pantry. Just find a few minutes to be alone.
Yes, I have a rule that the kids are not allowed to ask me questions while I am using the bathroom…most of the time it works. I’ve eaten in the pantry. Also, treated myself to a leisurely breakfast in the garage (it only lasted a few minutes, but at least I could eat without the baby begging for my food).
3. Don’t overwhelm you week: don’t plan so far out that you can’t easily adjust
I feel like I am stating the obvious to the busiest people in the world—momtrepreneurs. But don’t plan your year or month out so far that you can’t easily adjust. Life happens. You can’t plan emergency room visits, or how tired you will be for days after. If your week is overwhelmed, then it will be impossible to take a break.
I know the conventional advice it to sit down in January and plan out your whole year. But give yourself permission to zig when everyone else zags. If you need more ideas on how to do this, check out the goal series.
Conclusion: Take a Break
Whether you do this well, or you need to work at it. Wherever you are at that’s ok. The important thing is to just try. Create a habit of taking 5 minutes to just sit in solitude during the day. And then tell us how it goes!
If you don’t recharge you will render yourself useless! Do it! You don’t just need it, you deserve it!
I completely agree. Taking even small breaks as a mom is vital. I also try not to plan things too far in the future and keep things as flexible as possible.
Great suggestions! As mom’s I feel like we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves and are always focusing on others. It’s so important that we get our downtime to recharge!