There was a time when restoration meant stepping away.
When I was young and single, it looked like a solo vacation. After I got married, it looked like a couples massage. Once we had our first child, it was a long bubble bath at the end of the day.
But now that we have a toddler and a newborn, time for “self-care” has gotten significantly sparser. I know it’s a season, and I know we’ll return to longer moments of restoration eventually. But right now, I’m lucky if I get three minutes before someone needs me again.
I’m not getting a break from my busy life in this season, so I must find ways to take care of myself inside it. Instead of waiting for one long break, I’m learning to layer different types of rest into the day’s to-do list: physical, mental, emotional, sensory, spiritual, social and creative.
That can look like:
- Physical rest: stretching on the floor while your baby does tummy time
- Mental rest: listening to music while doing the dishes
- Emotional rest: reflecting on what went well today while getting your child to sleep
- Sensory rest: taking a shower in the dark to create a spa-like reset
- Spiritual rest: praying while folding laundry
- Social rest: taking a walk on the beach with your kids and a friend
- Creative rest: fully immersing yourself in outdoor play with your child
And sometimes, restoration looks like doing less, not more. It looks like holding and admiring your baby — letting everything else pause for a minute — or reminding yourself that this moment is not keeping you from what you’re supposed to be doing. It is exactly where you’re supposed to be.