by ABFRLadmin | May 11, 2025
Let’s get one thing straight: “doing nothing” is a myth for moms. Even when they sit, their minds are sprinting marathons – remembering dentist appointments, mentally adding items to the grocery list, wondering if the laundry is still in the machine, or calculating how many hours of sleep the toddler (and she) will get tonight.
So, when we say, “do nothing,” we mean real rest — the kind that doesn’t come with guilt or multitasking in disguise. The kind that feels like a long exhale. And yes, moms deserve that kind of rest without having to earn it first.
The Invisible To-Do List
Motherhood doesn’t clock out. It’s not just diaper changes and school pick-ups. It’s the 3 a.m. worries, the emotional buffering for the entire family, the mental gymnastics of planning meals that meet everyone’s preferences and nutritional needs. And often, it’s doing all this while showing up at work, running errands, or holding space for someone else’s bad day.
Let’s talk about the burnout – not the big dramatic crash, but the slow-drip kind that creeps in with phrases like “I’ll rest after I finish this” or “Let me just quickly…” (Spoiler: it’s never quick.) That’s why doing nothing – intentionally, guilt-free – becomes not a luxury, but a lifeline.
Doing Nothing is Doing Something
This isn’t about booking a luxury spa weekend (though by all means, yes to that too). It’s about reclaiming micro-moments: sitting in silence, staring out the window, reading a few pages of a book without interruption, or even just lying down with your phone on airplane mode.
No, it won’t solve world peace. But it might help your nervous system downshift, restore your bandwidth, and remind you that you exist outside the roles you play for others.
Rest Isn’t a Reward. It’s a Right.
Somewhere along the way, mothers were sold the idea that rest has to be earned – after the house is clean, after the emails are sent, after the world is spinning in perfect orbit. But here’s the truth: rest should not be transactional. Moms don’t need to hit performance benchmarks to be allowed to breathe. (And to all the dads who also doubles up as a mother)
Let’s retire the badge of “busy equals valuable.” Let’s rewrite that narrative. What if the most powerful thing a mom could do today… is nothing?
How to Do Nothing (Like a Pro)
If the idea of doing nothing makes you squirm, here are a few gentle starters:
Doing nothing might feel radical at first. But over time, it can become a quiet revolution – one that says: “I matter too.”
This Mother’s Day, Let Her Rest
So, if you’re a mom reading this, consider this your permission slip. Not from the world. From yourself. To pause. To breathe. To not check another box or clean another thing.
And if you’re shopping for her this Mother’s Day? Maybe pair the flowers with something even better: a few hours where she doesn’t have to do anything at all.
Because sometimes, nothing is exactly what she needs.
Let’s also remind ourselves — a mother doesn’t have to be a perfectionist. She doesn’t need to do it all, know it all, or hold it all together, all the time. Rest is not a reward for meeting impossible standards. It’s a right.
And finally, here’s to everyone who steps into the role of a mother — caregivers, grandmothers, older sisters, fathers, friends. The spirit of motherhood isn’t just biological — it’s emotional, powerful, and deeply human. This Mother’s Day, we celebrate you too.
