A new national report confirms what many parents already feel in their bones: mental health among moms in the U.S. is declining, and it’s not just a postpartum issue. From 2016 to 2023, rates of excellent self-reported mental health among mothers with children between the ages of 0 to 17 dropped by over 12 percentage points. With daily stressors stacked high and structural support often lacking, it's no surprise so many moms are feeling overwhelmed.
One of the most powerful buffers against this stress is rest. Not just sleep, but rest in all its forms. Physician and wellness expert Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith outlines seven types of rest that support different parts of your well-being:
When even one of these is neglected, it can leave you feeling drained in ways sleep alone won’t fix. That’s why it’s worth asking: Where am I most depleted right now? How might I find this form of rest in my day?
Rest isn’t something you earn after finishing your to do list. Rest is a foundational block in your day. So if your mental health has felt fragile lately, know that you’re not alone. Let it be a sign that you deserve more rest, along with permission to get more support to create space for rest.
Elise Loehnen, Author of *On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be Good,* reflects on how external expectations get in the way of the rest we deserve:
How many of us are compelled in our daily lives by what we think we should do? By what we have to do? In all this caretaking, we backburner our own needs, never lending them any heat, hoping, perhaps, that someone will notice our selflessness and reciprocate by taking care of us. This is often futile: It’s impossible not to feel resentful, to take that anger and turn it toward ourselves.
Perinatal psychiatrist, speaker, author and mother, Pooja Lakshmin, share how she learned to prioritize rest:
What I really needed was to rest. I realized that I felt more comfortable with productivity because it provided the illusion of control. Letting myself venture off from my to-do list was risky–it meant I had to allow myself to feel, to recognize when my body and mind needed rest, and also trust that I would be able to recharge and come back to my schedule.
from Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness
How will you rest this weekend?