It's Okay to Take a Nap

If you are ever in need of a nap and can possibly squeeze one in, by all means, do so. And do so without guilt. 

        I remember well the afternoon several years ago when I couldn't help but count the minutes until my husband was due home from work. It had been a tough day with the kids, and as much as I love them, I was ready for a break. When my husband walked in through the front door, I attempted to put on a good face - the one that says, "Welcome home and I hope your day has been as pleasant as ours." Instead, the grumpy, exhausted me let my dear husband have it when I surpirsed even myself by blurting out, "I'm going on vacation...I'll be back in fifteen minutes." I offered no explanation, just passed the baby off and headed to our bedroom, where I shut the door and leaned against the wall, sliding down into a crumpled heap on the floor.
        What next? I wondered. I wasn't sure, since I hadn't planned on taking this vacation. It was a short vacation, to be sure, but even so I was struggling to figure out how to spend the fifteen minuets I had so spontaneously seized. ..Motherhood doesn't have to mean being on duty 24/7 day after day, week after week, but I had allowed it to become just that, and now in my burned-out state, I realized that such an approach to motherhood isn't necessarily good for my kids of for me. 
        Just when I was sure I wouldn't come up with a fully satisfying way to spend the remaining few minutes of my time-out, I remembered my former yoga instructor's wise counsel. She had advised her students to take a time-out, however short, every day to focus on the simple act of breathing in and breathing out without rushing and without becoming distracted by those never-ending but always demanding to-do lists. So I lay down on my back, closed my eyes, and breathed in and out, in and out, relaxing more and more with each succeeding breath. When my fifteen-minute retreat time ended, I walked out of the bedroom to rejoin my family. I felt noticeably refreshed and surprisingly ready to navigate through the busy evening ahead. We still had dinner to eat, soccer practices to attend, unfinished homework to complete, and bedtime routines to drive through, but I was sure not that I could do it.

She goes on to suggest that she prefers to begin and end her days gently. Getting up twenty minutes before her kids so she has time to get ready for the day, go for a walk,  or just spend her time in quiet solitude. In the evening she likes to read something, reflect on what went well that day, or ask her husband to take care of the bedtime routine so she can have that personal time. She also suggests having the kids join in on quiet time, usually right after lunch. This way they learn play quietly, or to play by themselves. One idea: turn off the lights, light a candle, turn on some soothing music, and share some stretching time together. Make a list of five 15-minute retreats you could create to renew yourself when time permits. Write down on a piece of paper the reasons of why it's important for you to have regular downtime each day and put this paper on your mirror or somewhere you will see it often.


A celebration of motherhood, It's Okay to Take a Nap and Other Reassuring Truths for Mothers Everywhere illustrates the joys, struggles, and triumphs of being a mother. With reminders to moms of simple reassuring truths - like how you deserve a break and how you are a queen, not a maid - this book will strengthen and empower women while at the same time assuring them that their sacrifices to be a mother have not gone unnoticed.

Debra Sansing Woods is a full-time mom and part-time freelance writer. Her writing often focuses of and celebrates home and family life. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including LDS Living, Meridian magazine, two Deseret Book anthologies, the Dallas Morning News, the Athens Review, and others. She is also the author of Mothering with Spiritual Power: Book of Mormon Inspirations for Raising a Righteous Family. 

Debra graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in accounting and went on to become a CPA and corporate controller. She also taught personal finance for the University of Texas Informal Classes. She currently lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, Barry, and their five youngest children. Debra's family also includes her husband's three grown daughters.

Simply and beautifully written, this book is a wonderful gift for any mother.

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