31 Jul Is it Time to Take a Break?

As a mom (and especially as a homeschool mom), it’s easy to feel like you have to be superwoman. You’re responsible for teaching your children, keeping the house clean, grocery shopping, making dinner, taking care of everyone’s laundry, and the list goes on… It can often feel like there’s never enough time in the day to get everything done. In my experience, over time, our constant responsibilities can lead us to burnout.

Every year, around February and March, I start to feel the stress. Each day starts to become a struggle, and I fight just to find the energy to get through the day. It is at such times that I wonder – Is it time to take a break?

When is it Time to Take a Break?

It can be tough to admit that we need a break. For me, it felt like I was admitting to a weakness or like I didn’t actually have the mental, emotional, and physical capacity to homeschool my children. But it’s important to remember that even God gave himself a break after his 6 days of creation. He also instructs us to take breaks. Here are some signs that you may need a mental health day (or week, or month!):

• You feel overwhelmed.
• You feel irritable and even angry.
• Your sleeping habits and eating patterns changed.
• You feel tired even after a good 8 hours of sleep.
• You are sore and tired.
• You get sick easily.
• You feel restless and stressed.
• You don’t get excited about things that you love.
• You feel defeated.
• You feel like nothing is going as it should.

What Does a Break Look Like?

Breaks are essential in order to recharge our batteries. We all need some downtime, away from our homeschooling and parenting responsibilities – and there’s no shame in that! So how can we go about taking a break without feeling guilty? Here are a few tips:

• Take a day, or a week, or a month off of homeschooling. You’re not going to get behind. I have found that when I do this, I am refreshed and ready to approach my responsibilities with greater ease.
• Talk to your spouse or partner about taking turns watching the kids for an afternoon or evening each week. This way, both of you will get some time off from parenting duties. Use this time to hang out with friends, relax, treat yourself to a pedicure, or do things that you really enjoy.
• Ask grandparents or other relatives if they would be willing to watch the kids for an afternoon or evening occasionally.
• Take a walk in nature – alone or with your children. Nature has a way of soothing the mind and spirit.
• Enroll your children in a homeschool co-op or afterschool program. This will give you a little downtime and will also take some of the homeschooling responsibility off your shoulders.
• Plan a family vacation (or even just a day trip) with or without your kids, where you can enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation.
• Hire a babysitter for an occasional evening out with the girls, or with your spouse.
• Find opportunities for “me” time during your regular daily routine. I do this by scheduling all of the subjects that we do together in the morning. After lunch, we separate to do our individual work. In our family, the children will be reading quietly, allowing me to clean, cook, work on my business, take a long hot bath with some essential oils and a book, or take a nap.
• By the way – don’t be afraid to take a nap! Naps are so rejuvenating!

Take That Break!

As moms, we often feel guilty taking any type of break from our responsibilities; but if we don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be able to take care of our families in the best way possible! So go ahead – take that break! It’s so important for your overall health and well-being as well as that of your family! Treat yourself! You deserve it!