Exhausted Mom? How to Rest and Recharge

Exhausted Mom? How to Rest and Recharge

Being an exhausted mom can feel like a never-ending challenge. If you’re feeling worn out, overwhelmed, and running on empty, you’re not alone. It’s okay to admit that motherhood can be draining. In this post, we’ll explore how to rest and recharge, so you can be the best version of yourself for your family.

I remember the days when it felt like everything was falling apart. The endless meltdowns, the sticky juice spilled all over the floor after I just finished cleaning, and the guilt of feeling like I wasn’t doing enough.

Mothering is a high calling—a privilege and an honor. But it’s also a heck of a lot of work.

Yes, children are a gift, but on that day when it’s OUR child melting down in public, the kind where everyone stares at you with disdain, it doesn’t always feel like a blessing.

That day when you’ve just cleaned the kitchen for the fourth time, and your little one spills juice all over the floor again… and again… and again.

That day when your children are sick, and you’re caring for them, often in your own weakness.

That day when the bickering, the schoolwork struggles, or the attitudes are testing your patience.

On those days, it’s hard to admit just how near the edge we are. How we’re falling apart on the inside, even though we’re trying so hard to hold it together on the outside.

Friends, motherhood is hard work!

Just because being a parent is awesome, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t acknowledge the struggle. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.

Why Moms Struggle with Burnout: Understanding the Exhaustion

It is more than okay to admit our weakness.

Let me put my arm around your shoulder and whisper some comfort… Motherhood IS an amazing journey. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to admit that we often feel inadequate, frustrated, or just desperate for a break. I promise, you’re not alone in that.

How to Recognize When You’re Facing Mom Burnout

Psalm 107:29 – “He calmed the storm to a whisper, and stilled the waves.”

When my kids were small, I often felt like I was walking a perpetual plank toward unforeseen emotional hurricanes.

My husband sometimes worked opposite shifts to make ends meet. Meanwhile, my health began to deteriorate, starting a 27-year journey during my second pregnancy.

I homeschooled with chronic illness, not enough money, frequent moves, and a seasick balance of peace. Plus, I was constantly striving for perfection, as if I could do it all “perfectly.”

I often worried about taking a break, fearing it might be considered lazy or selfish.

But I learned the hard way that a time out is actually one of the best gifts we can give our families—and ourselves. That is why I am so passionate about encouraging you to lay down the chaos, seek peace, and pursue it.

The Truth About Supermom Syndrome: Why Perfection Isn’t the Goal

Why do emotionally exhausted moms fight rest?

Psalm 116:7 assures us, Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you… yet, we struggle to grasp what that can mean for us.

Curious I researched the word “return”. One definition says a return is a profit from an investment. What a hopeful perspective!

Our rest is a profit from our investment of time, so the Lord can show us just how good to us He is.

The Power of Rest: How Quiet Time Helps Exhausted Moms Recharge

What causes an overwhelmed and exhausted mom?

• Guilt – This is a biggie. Guilt is either conviction or the belief in something untrue. Moms tend to think that they are undeserving of a rest. That there is far too much responsibility

• Too much to do – The world really won’t end, and I get that it feels like it will. But we put too much pressure on ourselves to think we can do it all. And if we manage to do it all, can we really do it all well? Let some things go and invest in the rest. It gives back perspective.

• Lazy – Choosing rest isn’t lazy, it is wisdom. It is biblical. It is a gift. The more we try when we have nothing left, the further we get from the power of restoration.

• Literally no time – The schedule is packed or the family needs are great.

• Too young of children – They need constant care.

• Additional work on top of parenting – Outside jobs, an at-home business, etc.

• Comparison – Don’t let the magazines and parenting books create an impossible model of what a mom should be. Don’t waste time imagining your friends do it better than you, or like their kids more, etc. “Comparison is the thief of joy”- Theodore Roosevelt.

• No spousal support – Whether it be time, financial, or other.

• The biggie? Supermom syndrome. Being all that we did or didn’t have. When I became a mom, I worked so hard to do it perfectly. My kids would be always well-behaved, and if I worked hard enough, they would grow into beautiful adults who contribute broadly to everyone and everything around them. Even more than that perfect mom and wife, I wanted to be Super Woman. In all areas. When I couldn’t be super, there was no gray area. Super/Failure seemed to be the only options.

Too exhausted to be a “good” mom?

Let me touch on this briefly. Parenthood has a way of bringing out the micromanager in all of us, doesn’t it?

I remember one particularly frustrating day when my children were small. It was long before I ever even considered the idea of “quiet time” for mamas.

I reached the end of my rope and snapped. I exploded, and the hurt and confusion in my child’s eyes still stings after all these years.

Don’t let yourself get that far.

It’s so powerful for us to let down our guard and express our feelings to someone who can offer encouragement. We need to stop judging others for their bad days and, instead, offer grace.

I once believed I could be Supermom—the mom with everything together, kids always behaving perfectly, and a spotless home. But then one day, I snapped. And that’s when I realized: Supermom doesn’t exist. We can only be the best version of ourselves when we allow ourselves the grace to rest and recharge.

Supermom doesn’t exist. What makes us super is showing up, day after day. That’s what truly makes us heroes.

So let’s just show up—and learn how to let rest be our secret weapon in this beautiful, challenging journey of motherhood.

Resources to encourage exhausted moms

• Midnight Mom Devotional: 365 Prayers to Put Your Momma Heart to Rest
• Find Peace: A 40-day Devotional Journey For Moms
• How to Keep House While Drowning: 31 days of compassionate help
• Not Just A Mom: The Extraordinary Worth of Motherhood & Homemaking 
• Fierce Faith: A Woman’s Guide to Fighting Fear, Wrestling Worry, and Overcoming Anxiety
• Memory-Making Mom: Building Traditions That Breathe Life Into Your Home
• The Good Enough Mom
• Guilt-Free Mommy: Insights and Tools to Overcome Mommy Guilt
• Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms: Simple Ways to Stress Less and Enjoy Your Family More
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