Mama, you really do need time for yourself. Your quiet time matters not just for your own sanity, but for the peace of your family as well.
This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for details. This post also contains reviews of Mom’s Quiet Time Journal and Ponder. I was provided with copies of these publications free of charge. All opinions are my own.
7 AM mass is my favorite.
No music.
No large crowd of people.
No overwhelming fear that a tow-headed hobbit of a child might bolt from the pew and streak toward the altar like a greased pig, intent on tasting “da wiiiiiineeeee!!!!!”
Yes, I have to stumble out of bed at 6:15 on a Sunday morning. But the stillness – that burgeoning light streaming through brilliant stained glass windows?
It’s worth it. And of course, Jesus is there.
What a change from the decades of my unfettered youth when silence was a thing to be feared. I had to have the TV, a radio – some kind of background noise to soothe me.
20 years and three children later, silence is what I crave.
Why Quiet Time Matters for Moms
So much of a mother’s life exists in what looks like chaos. We are consistently bombarded by other people’s needs. While our hearts grow three sizes with every new addition, our living spaces shrink in direct correlation.
We begin to resent the room we have lost.
It happens slowly at first, and no one notices – least of all ourselves. We don’t realize we’re depressed, frustrated, angry, or lonely until we’re trapped in a vicious cycle: we lose our cool, feel guilty, and start the process all over again.
Quiet time for mom sets the tone for the family
My mother shared this with me early on. It’s a more sophisticated version of the old adage, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” It’s true – we are the source and center of our homes.
Quiet time for mom helps the children cultivate peace
Children aren’t as resilient as we think. They need help with patience, perseverance, and emotional regulation. How in the world can we assist them when we don’t have that ourselves?
Quiet time for mom brings God’s voice to the forefront
It’s easy to feel alone and abandoned. We aren’t – God is always calling our names. It’s hard to hear Him, though, in the midst of all the chaos. Quiet time gives us the opportunity to be still and know that not only is He God, He is with us every day.
Clearly, taking time for ourselves in the quiet and the silence is integral to the health of our souls. But how in the world do we get it when we’re surrounded by the people who need us the most?
Change your schedule
Get up 15 minutes early, or stay up just 15 minutes late. Reserve that time for reading, prayer, or indulging in a hobby. Stay off social media – that won’t do anything to soothe your soul.
Use screen time judiciously
30 minutes of screen time won’t hurt your children. Put on something educational and take a half hour to decompress.
Trade mother’s helper duties with a friend or neighbor
You watch her kids for a while, then she watches yours. The kids get to play – you get a breather.
Find (and use) a prayer or Scripture journal
We all have the best of intentions when it comes to prayer time, but having an outside guide to keep us on the straight and narrow helps a great deal. I have two journals I love:
Mom’s Quiet Time Journal by Sara Panning
As a homeschooling mom of three girls, Sara gets what it means to live out the vocation of Christian motherhood. She knows what it’s like to live this beautiful, sacrificial vocation day in and day out. Sara’s Quiet Time journal is a balm for a weary mother’s soul – a place to gather your thoughts, focus on prayer, and rest your worries on the Lord.
Sara has carefully curated a number of uplifting verses from Scripture and placed them alongside pages for quiet coloring.
There are gratitude pages
journaling sections
and more, like pages to record your reading list, favorite Scripture quotes, goal setting pages, and mind maps for brainstorming.
Sara has literally though of everything a Christian mother needs and compiled it in a lovely, soft-cover binding. Flipping through it is like sitting down with an old friend over a cup of tea. I step away from it feeling rested and restored.
Ponder (Take Up and Read)
I first became acquainted with Take Up and Read and Lectio Divina through Above All, Take Up and Read’s Lenten devotional. Veteran Catholic writer Elizabeth Foss and colleagues have presented the Benedictine practice of Scripture reading, meditation, and prayer for a new generation of Catholic mothers, interspersing Scriptural passages and meditation questions with thoughtful essays on virtue and Catholic motherhood. Take Up and Read released Ponder this spring, a scriptural companion to the mysteries of the Rosary. It’s a beautiful way to meditate on the birth, life, passion, and resurrection of Our Lord.
Quiet time for mothers may seem like a magical unicorn, but I assure you it is anything but. Let God find you in the quiet places by creating an opportunity for Him to do so.
You need it – and your family will thank you for it.
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