Discover three practical pockets of peace for overwhelmed moms. Learn how to find contentment in Christ, calm your nervous system, and find God’s grace in everyday motherhood.
Recently, I listened to an episode of M Is for Mama with Abby Halberstadt, where she discussed the idea that contentment creates capacity. Abby was addressing something I’ve noticed in conversations about motherhood. It’s this sense that young mothers today don’t seem to have the same capacity that older generations of mothers did. Although I completely love and would recommend that podcast episode, I’ll admit, at first, I wasn’t entirely sure I was tracking with what she was saying. I felt a combination of conviction, which is a good thing, and a little bit of puzzlement.
The conviction came when Abby spoke about the sufficiency of Christ. It was so good, friends; you’ll have to go listen to it, but let me see if I can accurately summarize. When we believe that God’s Word and His power truly give us everything we need for life and godliness, we can do more than we think we’re capable of doing. Not because we are exceptionally strong women, but because Christ is sufficient. When we reach the end of our own strength, we still have the ability to turn to Him in praise, trust His promises, and receive strength to continue. I believe that wholeheartedly.
But I also found myself wrestling with another question. Does this mean we should dismiss the very real and different circumstances (than in generations past) that mothers of young children face today? I’m not suggesting that Abby intended to do that, either. She’s a mother of ten who is expecting her eleventh baby, and I do not doubt that she has wisdom and experience from which I can learn. We have to surrender to the Titus 2 women model. It is good to listen and glean from older women. Still, I wonder whether sometimes we are so eager to tell exhausted mothers to run to Jesus that we forget to help them navigate the practical difficulties that brought them to their knees in the first place.
Running to Christ is the answer, but what does that look like when you’re overstimulated, the laundry is piling up, your children need you constantly, and you’re facing another time-sensitive decision before you’ve even finished breakfast? We are embodied human beings, not simply minds that need correcting. Our circumstances, our physical needs, and even our nervous system can affect how we experience the demands of motherhood.
I want to revisit an idea I first shared in 2024: pockets of peace. These are small, intentional moments within our ordinary routines that help us pause, breathe, and redirect our hearts toward Christ. I’ve wanted to make this channel a combination of practical ideas and tips, plus encouragement for the heart. I’m not sure I’ve done a great job with the balance of the two but I sure am going to try today. These pockets of peace aren’t a replacement for depending on Christ. Instead, they’re practical ways to make room for that dependence in the middle of real life.
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Find a Pocket of Peace in the Way You Begin Your Day
The most practical thing we can do when we’re feeling overwhelmed is establish a small rhythm that helps us begin the day with our minds turned toward the Lord. This doesn’t necessarily mean waking up an hour before your children, completing an elaborate Bible study, or enjoying a perfectly quiet morning with a steaming cup of coffee. I remember when I went from around an hour of studying my Bible and journaling to feeling so frustrated with my first and secondborn when that ritual became impossible to continue.
I had a friend at the time look at me and ask if my littles both bathed each night. At the time, I said “yes.” She encouraged me to use that time to open my Bible and focus on 5 minutes total of prayer and Bible reading. It was exactly what I needed at that time. Seven years later, I’m still not in a place where I’m back to a long morning routine of Bible reading, journaling, and prayer, but by God’s grace, I’ve found a way to get consistent time with him integrated back into my early mornings.
YouTube Links Menioned:
- Where Wonder Leads Book
- Spaghetti Squash Chili
- Substack – The Healing Home Letter
- 10% off Papa Bear Naturals
- She Reads Truth
- Pockets of Peace 2024
- Fall Homemaking Rhythms
Instead of measuring your spiritual discipline against someone else’s routine, consider what a little bit of intentionality could look like in your own life.
For years, I’ve used my own Bible reading plans, but recently I’ve found myself floundering a little. I wasn’t struggling with a lack of desire to read God’s Word, but I was having a harder time focusing and knowing how to approach my daily reading. The focus thing was the real problem. After hearing Raechel Myers on the M Is for Mama podcast, I decided to give She Reads Truth a try, and I’ve been so impressed with the format.
Each day includes a portion of Scripture to read alongside a short devotional that helps you reflect on the passage. If you use the app, there’s also a community where you can leave comments and connect with other women who are reading through the same plan. I’ve found this combination of Scripture, thoughtful reflection, and community to be a helpful way to bring some renewed focus to my time in God’s Word.
Perhaps you already have a Bible reading rhythm that works beautifully for you. If so, keep going! But if you’ve found yourself in a season where your reading feels scattered or you’re struggling to focus, it might be worth trying a different approach. Sometimes a small change in our routine can help us return to something that matters deeply.
I want to be clear that we aren’t earning God’s favor through a peaceful morning routine. Our standing before Him rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ, not on whether we’ve managed to have a quiet time before 6 a.m. But because we belong to Him, we have the privilege of turning our attention toward His truth throughout the day.
“Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10 ESV
Stillness doesn’t always mean a silent room or an uninterrupted hour. Sometimes, it means pausing long enough to remember who God is while your children chatter at you.
Rather than trying to create an ideal morning, ask yourself: What is one small thing I could do to begin my day with my heart directed toward Christ? Start there, and give yourself grace as you build that pocket of peace.
Find a Pocket of Peace by Stepping Outside
There is something restorative about stepping outside, especially when you’ve spent the morning inside managing the needs of your household. On this specific day, I thought it would be nice to venture outdoors before we started our homeschool lessons to hang some laundry out to dry. I would typically go on an outside walk or run in the morning, but I’ve started to utilize our workout space downstairs in the colder months, so I’ve already got a workout under my belt for the day. The outdoors gives you an opportunity to slow down and take a deep breath.
Living in Minnesota means I experience the full range of seasons. There are beautiful autumn afternoons when I can hardly imagine wanting to be anywhere else, and there are winter days when the wind is bitterly cold, and I question all my life choices! But even a few minutes outside can provide a welcome change of pace.
This isn’t about claiming that fresh air will solve every problem or that every mother has easy access to a quiet outdoor space. The goal isn’t to recreate someone else’s lifestyle. It’s to look for a practical opportunity to pause within the circumstances God has given you.
Perhaps you bring your coffee onto the porch while the children play nearby. Maybe you take your morning reading outside, let the children dig in the dirt while you read aloud, or step out to collect eggs and notice the changing colors of the trees. You don’t need to turn these moments into another item on your to-do list.
And here is where I think the idea of contentment creating capacity becomes especially helpful. Instead of looking at your circumstances and wishing you could escape them, you begin to notice the goodness God has already placed within them.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
Gratitude doesn’t require us to pretend everything is easy. It helps us remember that even in difficult circumstances, God remains good and faithful.
Find a Pocket of Peace Within Your Ordinary Work
I go through seasons of struggling with how repetitive my work as a homemaker and mother is. There are seasons that I love the repetitive nature and some where I border on resenting it. We make breakfast, clean the kitchen, wash the laundry, and prepare another meal. We teach the children, tidy the living room, and somehow find that the very tasks we completed yesterday have returned today.
One of the ways I like to find a little bit of peace in the kitchen is by making nourishing meals for my family. This week, I’m sharing my spaghetti squash chili, a practical recipe to add to your meal rotation when you want something homemade without making mealtime feel like one more overwhelming task. Cooking doesn’t always feel peaceful, of course!
However, sometimes when I give myself permission to enjoy the process rather than rush through it, even preparing an ordinary meal can become an opportunity to slow down and care for the people God has placed in my home.
It’s easy to begin believing that peace will come when the house is clean, or our circumstances finally become manageable. But if we continually postpone peace until life becomes easier, we may miss the opportunities God has given us today.
One way to cultivate these pockets of peace is to change how we approach the work already in front of us. Instead of viewing every household task as an interruption to the life we wish we had, we can begin seeing ordinary work as an opportunity to serve our families faithfully.
For me, this might look like hanging laundry outside and listening to the wind, baking something from scratch in the kitchen, or taking time to read a story with one of my boys rather than rushing through every moment. I probably need to take a rest from mentioning this, because I think this is the third video where I’ve talked about it, but we are loving the new chapter book from Eryn Lynum called Where Wonder Leads. Of all the books sent to me this year for review, this is my favorite because it meets our family culture. If your family is a nature-loving family, get this book!
Of course, some days we need to simplify our schedules, ask for help, lower unnecessary expectations, or make changes to the rhythms of our homes. Just last week I did an entire video on adapting the rhythms of our house for fall, so I’ll be sure to link that in the accompanying blog post and description. Finding peace doesn’t mean ignoring the practical problems that need our attention. It means learning to recognize what we can change, what we must faithfully endure, and where we need to trust the Lord.
This is an important distinction for mothers in 2026. We live in a world of constant notifications, endless comparisons, and messages telling us that we’re either doing too much or not doing enough.
We need to be intentional about the influences we allow into our homes and minds. Sometimes the most helpful pocket of peace is putting your phone away, stepping back from the noise, and returning to the ordinary work God has placed before you.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2 ESV
I don’t know about you, but my mind is pretty firmly rooted in things on earth. I need God’s strength and grace to move me toward a deeper understanding that this world is awfully temporary. When we reach the end of our capacity, we can ask Him for strength while also taking practical steps to make our days more manageable. Both can be true at the same time.
Small Moments, Sufficient Grace
I don’t think pockets of peace will make motherhood easy. They won’t eliminate the exhaustion of caring for little ones, remove every difficult circumstance, or guarantee that we’ll feel calm throughout the day. But they can help us recognize the small opportunities we have to pause, give thanks, and turn our hearts back toward Christ.
Contentment really can create capacity when it grows from trusting the goodness and sufficiency of God. We begin to see that we don’t have to manufacture strength from within ourselves. We can receive what we need from Christ, take the next faithful step, and trust Him with what remains unfinished.
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list this week, I want to encourage you to look for one pocket of peace. Begin your morning with a verse of Scripture, step outside for a few minutes, or find a way to slow down during an ordinary household task. Let these small practices become reminders to depend on the Lord rather than demands you place on yourself.
If you’re looking for a little more encouragement in the ordinary rhythms of motherhood, I’d love to welcome you to The Healing Home Letter on Substack. It’s where I share reflections from my own life as a mother and homemaker, along with faith-filled encouragement to help us keep our hearts rooted in Christ. Think of it as a little letter from my home to yours, reminding us that even in the middle of the everyday work, there is grace to be found.
You don’t have to change your entire life today. You can start with a little bit of intentionality, a heart of gratitude, and the confidence that Christ is sufficient for every season of motherhood.
What are some pockets of peace you’ve found in your own life? I’d love to hear about the small, ordinary moments that help you turn your heart toward Jesus in the middle of a busy day.
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