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I want to try something with you today. I want you to actually count what you do in a single day. Not to overwhelm you. Not to stress you out. But because I have a feeling that if you actually stopped and looked at it all — really looked — you would feel something shift inside you. Because most parents are carrying far more than they realize. And most of that carrying goes completely unseen. Let’s Start at the Beginning of Your Day The alarm goes off — or more likely a child or an animal beats it to the punch. You get up. You let the dog out. You start the coffee. You unload the dishwasher from last night because somehow that didn’t happen. You make breakfast. You get the kids up — which, let’s be honest, is its own Olympic event some mornings. You pack lunches. You remind someone about their library book. You throw in a load of laundry because if you don’t do it now it won’t happen. You get everyone out the door. And then you go to your actual job. The one you get paid for. And Then the Second Shift Begins You come home and dinner needs to happen. The laundry needs to move to the dryer. The dog needs a walk. Someone needs a ride to practice. Someone else has a game you need to cheer at. The permission slip that’s been sitting on the counter needs to be signed and returned. Someone is having big feelings and needs you to hold space for them. You prep tomorrow’s lunches while mentally running through what needs to happen in the morning. And somewhere in all of that you try to remember to drink enough water. That is not one job. That is not even two jobs. That is an extraordinary, relentless, beautiful, exhausting amount of human output — happening every single day — most of it completely invisible to the people around you and even to yourself. The Mental Load Nobody Talks About Enough 
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We've talked about movement and gratitude as mood lifters.
This week? The Self-Care Pause. (I write about this in my book Parenting Marathon - it's a game-changer.) What's a Self-Care Pause?It's 5-15 minutes of intentional self-care time to do something that brings you joy, peace, or energy. That's it. Just 5-15 minutes. Not multitasking. Not trying to read emails while making your grocery list and scheduling dentist appointments at the same time. Just one thing. Something that fills you up. Here's What It Could Look Like
"But I Don't Have Time"I hear this. I get it. Life is packed. But here's the truth: You can't pour from an empty cup. Those 5-15 minutes aren't wasted time. They're an investment in showing up better for everything else. When you pause to refuel, you have more to give. More patience. More energy. More capacity for the chaos. This Week's PracticeSchedule your Self-Care Pause. Pick a time. Put it on your calendar if you need to. Maybe it's:
No multitasking. No guilt. Just soaking it up. Then hit reply and tell me: What did you choose? How did it feel? I want to hear about it. 💚 Want to dive deeper into this concept? I write about the Self-Care Pause (and so many other sanity-saving strategies) in my book Parenting Marathon. It's full of practical ways to take care of yourself while taking care of your family. You can't pour from an empty cup. Take the pause. Refuel. Your family will benefit. And so will you. Warmly, Dana |
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October 2026
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