Motherhood is not for the faint of heart. No sir.

In the corporate world, I worked with Supervisors, Managers, Directors and Presidents and none of the work they ever required was as demanding as full-time motherhood. Maybe it’s a biased outlook since my kids are young (4 and 8) and they still require help with showers, getting ready in the morning and at night and still can’t cook for themselves.

I guess each phase of motherhood has it’s emotional drains. I’m glad to be out of the infant phase where sleep is a scarce commodity. Regardless of your current motherhood phase, please tell me I’m not the only one that feels tired some days of serving, serving and serving.

I compare motherhood to a job similar to a nurse. A nurse at a hospital cares all day for many patients. She’s on her feet doing rounds and trying to keep everyone calm and in less pain as possible.

I think as women we do so much. We clean, we wash, we cook, we shop for what’s needed, we try to save money, we work, we exercise, we try to grow spiritually, we have hobbies, we blog, we talk to friends, we volunteer at church and at school…..etc….etc…etc. Fill in the blank ____________. The list can go on for days. You get my point.

Well there comes a day when it all just starts to weigh too much for us to handle. You know…..that day…..when you feel like quitting everything just to have a moment of peace and quiet.

That day the phrase you desperately want to hear is: “Take the day off”. Yes, you wished someone would whisk through the door and tell you today is your day off. We will handle what you do here….just go….enjoy a day for yourself.

Some sceptics may say (mostly men) why do you need a day off? Don’t you enjoy being a Mom? Well of course we do! But just for a moment, think about this.

Every profession, pilots, doctors, teachers (oh man are they lucky) all professions are allowed time off. But why don’t we ever give Moms a day off?

Why do we expect Moms to be available 24/7, 365 days a year. Even when we take family vacations, were not off. We still have to give and attend to the needs of our family. Well for those of you who don’t know why, here are 3 reasons Moms need a day off:

1-To Be Alone

If you have small children and if they don’t go to daycare or school (my case with my 4 year old) then you are never alone. You are always aware that you must be available to attend to your child, even if he’s asleep. You must be present.

When I was behind the desk, if I got tired of my co-workers I would just go into my office and shut the door. (Sorry co-workers hope none of you are reading this but that’s the truth). Well in motherhood you can’t do that. You have to be available.

Moms need time to be alone. To think. To process ideas. To plan. To dream. To unpack emotions. To just sit without having to serve. Which brings me to point #2.

2-To Receive

Every Mom needs a time to be served. To be on the receiving end. To have someone wait on her.

Doesn’t it feel great when you go to a restaurant and the waiter comes to take your order? You just sit and they bring your drink, your bread/chips, your appetizer, your entree and the best part your dessert.

Well on that day off, a Mom should go to be waited on. You can go to your favorite restaurant, to see a movie (one that isn’t picked by your kids), you can go get a manicure (one of my favorites) or whatever you like. It’s okay to be pampered. Enjoy it.

3-To Recharge

A much needed day off will help you focus again. Being in the thick of it every day sometimes causes us to lose focus.

We need time to remember why we choose this life. To find the joys of motherhood. To reflect on why we longed so much to be Moms in the first place.

To see the blessing and not the mess. To appreciate what we have and how much we’ve accomplished as Moms.

We need time to recharge our souls. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” I found it interesting that Jesus says we need rest for our SOULS. Yes, Moms we need rest to recharge our souls. Deep down this is a matter of the soul and our tired souls can only find rest in Him.

Feeling tired as Moms is normal. Fellow Mom, please don’t dive into despair. Instead, take a day off and rest in the Lord.

That day off can bring some much needed alone time. Alone time that we can use to reconnect with God. Time to think and just enjoy a quiet atmosphere. Time to receive and get pampered. Time to recharge and focus on the things that matter: our family and our faith.

Even if you can’t take the entire day off, try a couple of hours. Find a babysitter, a family member, a friend. When you feel you’re at the end of your rope, just please take the day off. You’ll be glad you did.

Question:

What do you do to recharge as a Mom? Do you take days off? How do you squeeze in mommy breaks during the day?