Micro-sabbaths for the weary soul
As I dropped my son off at preschool this morning, I saw it everywhere: exhaustion written across tired faces. One mom let out a deep sigh, on the verge of tears, because she’s been navigating a family crisis. The preschool director looked drained, perhaps from the heavy load of her work or the growing pressures of life in Southern California. Another friend, running on too little sleep, appeared almost unrecognizable under the weight of her fatigue.
Exhaustion is a reality for many of us—parents or not. But this morning, it wasn’t just tiredness I saw. It was weariness.
This year I have found that my own exhaustion at times compounds into weariness. So much so that I had a friend tell me over summer, “You don’t sound just tired, you sound burnt out.” I do think there is a difference between momentary tiredness, which can often be remedied with sleep and a solid black cup of coffee, and pure exhaustion or weariness. Weariness (which can be caused by physical exhaustion) runs deeper. It is essentially the exhaustion of the soul.
The accumulation of life’s demands—relationship crises, discrimination, chronic illness, financial strain, work stress, loneliness—paired with the relentless suffering we see in the media fast-tracks tiredness into weariness. It becomes a burden that’s difficult to shake, weighing down not only our bodies but our spirits.
So, how do we find rest amid exhaustion and weariness?
I grapple with this question frequently. I recently spoke with a pastoral coach, Jeff, about the concept of Sabbath. We laughed when he said, “With two little kids, the reality is you’re always going to be tired.” He wasn’t wrong. But the point of our conversation was to explore how I can find rest in light of my recent experiences of exhaustion and weariness this last year. So that my regular mom-of-two-littles tiredness doesn’t turn into weary exhaustion. While we didn’t find a magic solution, we threw around the phrase “micro-sabbaths” and then Jeff shared how he encourages pastors to be “Sabbath keepers.”
Now, there’s nothing revolutionary about these ideas. Many people talk about taking small breaks, carving out moments of rest, and the spiritual significance of Sabbath. In fact, sometimes the advice to “just take a moment to breathe” feels annoyingly simplistic, as it often overlooks the real pressures people face. Yet, for many of us, a full day to observe Sabbath isn’t feasible. Small “micro-Sabbaths” may be our only option. Our bodies and souls are desperately screaming out for rest.
We need breaks. We need moments to slow down, disconnect from screens, enjoy nature, reconnect with ourselves and God, engage with art, and give our bodies and souls the love they deserve in this deeply tiring world.
As Jeff said, I’m always going to be tired. That’s the reality of this season of my life. However, I won’t always be weary. While there is so much I can’t change (like the suffering of others or myself), I can take micro-breaks. In the coming months, I plan to experiment with intentional micro-Sabbaths. Let’s see if creatively finding breaks can help me fend off exhaustion and weariness, allowing me to simply be joyfully tired—which is, after all, nothing a black coffee can’t fix.
Where are you finding your restorative rest in this season? How can you make space, even in the smallest ways, to care for your body and soul?
