caring for self:
Thanksgiving is a few days away, and then we will be thrust full force into the holiday season. I love the holidays and everything that comes with them. Everything from the traffic to the carols playing in the stores, to the street lights blinking a bright red and green. I love every bit of it all! But, there are times when it feels a bit chaotic to me. That is why we must prioritize rest during these busy seasons of life. Here’s how…
I recently read…
I recently read the following, by Something Interest Magazine.
“Back in the 1950s, every kindergarten classroom shared a simple daily routine you could almost set your clock to. After songs, coloring, and circle time—after snacks of graham crackers and milk—the teacher would dim the lights. A soft record began to play, and twenty small children stretched out on striped mats or colorful rugs, shoes tucked neatly aside, blankets pulled up to their chins. The room would grow still. It was nap time.
For children growing up in the 1950s, 60s, and early 70s, this was as much a part of kindergarten as finger painting or learning the alphabet. It wasn’t just a break—it was an important part of the day. Teachers and researchers believed quiet time helped children grow, giving them space to calm down, imagine, and reset before the afternoon’s activities. Science agreed. Rest was essential for young minds still developing, not a luxury.
Teachers became keepers of peace. They spoke softly, walked quietly between rows of small sleepers, sometimes reading in a near whisper or gently fixing a blanket. For many children, this was the only true calm they had all day—a pause between learning, playing, and exploring.
Some children drifted off quickly, worn out from the morning. Others stayed awake, watching tiny dust specks float through a sliver of sunlight, lost in the kind of daydreams only a five-year-old can have. Even the restless ones, the kids who stared at the ceiling or fidgeted endlessly, learned something meaningful: that being still can be just as important as being busy.
But by the 1970s and 80s, things began to change. Kindergarten shifted focus from play and social growth to early academics and testing. Parents worried their kids might fall behind, and schedules filled up with lessons and structured activities. Naptime started to seem unnecessary.
Soon, schools began phasing it out. The mats were stored away, and the soft music gave way to overhead projectors, then computers, then tablets. By the 1990s, naps were almost entirely gone from public kindergarten classrooms, surviving only in a few preschools and daycare programs.
Today, most kindergarteners spend their full day in structured learning—reading groups, math, computer work, and maybe a short recess. There’s little time for quiet or rest. And we wonder why anxiety in children keeps rising.
For those who remember, the memory still feels warm: the dim lights, the hum of a record, the faint smell of well-loved blankets, and the gentle comfort of being told it’s okay to rest. Naptime taught more than we realized. It taught that rest matters, that silence has meaning, and that constant productivity isn’t the goal.”
Rest isn’t weakness…
Sometimes rest can feel like an absolute luxury. We find ourselves rushing to school drop off, rushing to work, rushing to the market, rushing to cook dinner, and rushing to get ready for bed, all to get up and do it all again the next day.
We pack our schedules from dawn to dusk – and with good things – but I fear we rarely work in time for rest. Rest is essential to good physical and mental health. Making time to rest, even for a few moments, can relieve feelings of stress and anxiety. Like water to a thirsty body, moments of rest are essential to an overwhelmed person.
Taking five or ten minutes to rest – even if it’s only to sit in silence and breathe – can have enormous impact on our overall ability to handle life.
Something Interest Magazine continued… “As adults, many of us now live in a world that never slows down, one that makes us feel guilty for pausing. Yet we once taught children that rest was part of learning. Maybe that’s a lesson worth bringing back.
Rest, stillness, and quiet time aren’t signs of weakness. They’re part of what keeps us healthy, thoughtful, and human. Maybe it’s time to bring a bit of that nap time wisdom back into our lives.”
As the holidays approach…
As the holiday season draws ever closer, let this be a gentle reminder, and maybe permission, to allow yourself to find rest during this busy and wonderful season.
That may look differently for each person. To some it may mean lingering in a hot bath for an extra five minutes, or going to bed fifteen minutes early. For some it may mean intentionally picking the activities they say yes to, and which ones to gracefully decline. To others, it may simply mean following a day of rest mindset; choosing to block an evening each week – or a day each weekend – where your family agrees not to schedule anything.
Whichever way looks best for you and suits your family, that is the method you should follow. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all perspective to this. If you do choose to follow this suggestion, I believe you’ll find the holidays sweeter, more restful, and a lot less stressful.
