Positive habits for stay-at-home moms
It’s no secret that small rhythms can bring peace and joy to your everyday.
I recently saw a video where a CEO interviews a bunch of people for a position that sounds impossible to fill. He said things like: “the position requires you to be on your feet most of the day”. “you can only eat your lunch after the other associates have eaten their lunch”. “it is a 24 hour position, you will have to work holidays and night shifts without extra pay”… you get the point, I don’t think you need me to keep going. Being a stay-at-home mom is one of the most rewarding — and most exhausting — roles you can step into. There’s no sugar coating that statement. There’s no clocking out, no lunch breaks, and no official training. You are a chef as well as a chofeaur, and a dry cleaning service as well as a master fort builder. Your “associates” are unpredictable, your tasks are never-ending, and some days, it feels like the only thing you accomplished was keeping everyone alive.
But here’s the truth: we can put habits in place that help us get through our day a bit easier, and if not easier, just overall better. A better mood, a good structured day, and productive. And your daily habits can help support you as you carry the weight of it.
Let’s be honest, you need rhythms, not pressure.
Grace, not guilt.
So here are some positive habits for stay-at-home moms — not as another “to-do list,” but as gentle tools to help you feel more grounded, whole, and even joyful in the midst of it all.
And remember, you do not have to do them all to have a good day, or to be a “good mom”. pick the ones that feel the easiest to incorporate into your day or maybe let them inspire you to some of your own ideas.
1. Start the day with a quiet time
This doesn’t mean waking up at 5 a.m. and doing a full workout or quiet time (unless that brings you joy — then go for it!). It just means claiming one simple moment for your heart.
A cup of tea or coffee before the kids are up
A few minutes of journaling or prayer
Write our a verse for the day and tape it to the fridge [to keep coming back to]
open the curtains and notice the light filtering through instead of rushing through the habit.
Step outside to breathe in the morning air and listen to the birds wake the day.
The habit here is showing up first thing and enjoy the quiet… to center, to breathe, to ask for grace.
2. Get dressed (even a little)
Yes, the outfit from yesterday counts. No, you don’t need makeup.
But something as small as brushing your hair, or pinning it back in a cute, messy bun, putting on earrings, or changing out of pajamas can subtly shift your mindset. It tells your brain: I’m ready for this day. Even if that day is full of laundry and PB&Js.
I even feel a difference when I put on lounge clothes or chill clothes over, say, a dress and a sweater or jeans and a T. My brain knows even that small thing so I know getting out of Pj’s is an even bigger positive thing for my brain.
3. Create an anchor routine
Structure brings peace.
You don’t need a color-coded schedule, but try building in one or two anchor points to your day — times when your family knows what to expect.
Examples:
Morning basket time after breakfast
Afternoon quiet time (yes, even just 30 minutes)
Evening walks or storytime before bed
gathering to read before bed in your room
card games after dinner
These small routines become sacred rhythms — and they help kids and moms feel a little more secure.
4. Move your body gently
You don’t need a gym membership or intense workout videos. You just need movement.
Stretch while the kids eat breakfast
Do a 10-minute YouTube workout
Dance with your toddler
Go for a stroller walk
Chase your kids around the yard (that counts!)
Movement isn’t just good for your body — it’s powerful for your mood.
5. Build a “reset” ritual for overwhelming moments
When the day spirals (because it will), have a go-to reset habit. I have found that an audiobook or gentle music can help reset just as much as everyone taking space.
This might be:
Turning on calming music
Stepping outside for a breath of air
Drinking a glass of cold water
Whispering a prayer: “Jesus, meet me here.”
When you feel yourself unraveling, don’t push harder. Pause, reset, receive grace.
6. Stay connected with other moms
Motherhood can feel incredibly isolating, not because of the lack of mothers out there, but generally because we are all busy with our days at home.
Make space for connection. Text a friend. Send a voice memo. Join a mom community (like The Moms Weekly Collective 😉). Go to the park with someone who gets it.
You were never meant to do this alone. I am thankful for the digital connection we have today, but don’t forget to get some real life contact as well. It helps so much, even if it's just saying something and your friend going “YOU TOO?!” . Feeling seen by other moms in the same stage in life or even a bit further ahead can do wonders for your motherhood journey.
7. Create a “daily beauty” moment
This might sound frivolous, but it’s deeply grounding. Try adding one moment of beauty to your day:
Light a candle at lunchtime
Keep fresh flowers on the table
Listen to music that moves you
Read one page of a beautiful book
Open a window and let in the light
Beauty reminds your soul that there’s more than just chores and chaos — there's wonder, even here.
8. End the day with gratitude, not guilt
Don’t fall asleep listing what you didn’t do.
Instead, try writing (or whispering) 3 things you’re grateful for.
Three ways you saw love.
Three moments that made you smile.
Let that be what tucks you in at night — not the pressure of perfection, but the peace of presence.
There will be days when the house is a mess, the kids are wild, and you feel like you’ve lost yourself somewhere in the laundry pile.
But you are not lost. You are becoming.
These small habits aren’t about productivity — they’re about presence.
They’re little ways to remind you: Your life matters. Your work matters. You matter.
So be kind to yourself.
Start small.
Show up.
And know that in all the hidden, ordinary moments — you are doing sacred, lasting work.
