“I just need a break” is a common phrase uttered from my mouth these days.
To be honest, I’ve felt a deep conviction about not saying this in front of my kids. I don’t want to communicate to them that they are a burden/problem and that I don’t want to be with them. On the flip side, being with four children 24/7 is exhausting, and sometimes I just really need some time to myself to think a complete thought!
Unfortunately, I still haven’t quite figured out how to master the art of actually taking a break. My biggest hurdle is the fact that if I take a break, there is double the work for me to do later. I often resonate with this meme:
Sure, I don’t quite have a baby anymore- and “taking a break” has gotten so much easier since the kids are getting older, but I still find myself mentally struggling with taking a break!
I think the key to taking a break is creating margin in my day. This may mean going to bed earlier so that I can get up earlier so that I can create some quiet space in my morning before the kids wake up.
This may mean putting my phone on airplane mode so I’m not doom scrolling and then wondering why I’m so stressed out.
This may mean having the kids help me out a great deal around the house and yard/animals. Sure, it sometimes takes a little longer to do things with them, but I find they are very capable when I give them chores to do! And it helps me so much.
This may mean power cleaning the house so that the space is calm and not cluttered- this makes such a different in my headspace and makes me feel so much more calm and rested!
This may mean leaving the dishes in the sink, the mess all over the floor, and just sitting on bed (or out in the sunshine) to read a book for 15-20 minutes.
This may mean saying no to things on the calendar- and it may mean saying yes to things on the calendar- things that end up filling my cup in big ways, even if it is inconvenient to leave the house.
This may mean paying a babysitter so that I can work in my classroom, or go on a date with Theo, or just walking around a park by myself!
This may mean taking the kids out to do something fun. Sometimes we all need a break from being at our house.
This may mean just staying home all day with NOTHING on the calendar. Sometimes we all need a break from going somewhere.
When the time and budget allows, I love the chance to get away for a day or two with friends. Booking an Airbnb, hanging out, going out to eat, sleeping in and just having nothing planned and no demands on us is glorious.
I’m sure the prompt for this blog post was more along the lines of a list of places, products or events that help us feel like we are taking a break. And I do love to sit down with a cold glass of coke, a good book, or a lovely weekend away. But the truth is that if I focus on needing all of those things, I get really grumpy and out of sorts that I don’t have them on a regular/frequent basis! So instead I try to focus on how to implement little breaks into my day. I’m trying to teach myself that a break doesn’t necessarily mean I get to be alone and fully in charge of what is going on- sometimes spending time with my children and taking a break from my phone is actually far more valuable than a day alone. And as you can see from my list, it takes a lot of wisdom to know the pulse of my family and what type of break they/I need on each particular day!
I still get up at least an hour earlier than everyone in the house and try to have some quiet time to myself as a little break and books outside are a huge one for me in the spring/summer too.
You have so many great ways of taking a break. Asking the kids to help is a great idea, and I know I appreciate the help when mine help me. Thanks for linking up with us.