Mush brain.
That’s how I’d describe my mind after years and years of sleep deprivation.
Most young moms (especially if you had lots of littles in a row) know the challenge of forming a complete thought. Or staying focused during a quiet time. Or even having a moment alone with God.
I know Jennie understands.
Jennie is a sweet mom of two from Cambridge, England. She emailed me sharing struggles with sleep deprivation. Her son suffered from a serious of medical challenges leaving them with four years of interrupted sleep.
She knows the power of a strong relationship with God. But in this season has found connecting deeply with Him difficult given her exhausted, “mush brain”.
The mentor that I called to answer Jennie’s questions is the amazing Sally Clarkson.
Sally understands having children who don’t sleep and she’s been through her share of challenging seasons. From those experiences and others she began to mentor young moms and encourage other women to do the same .
In this episode, Sally helps moms move beyond traditional spiritual disciplines to experience God in their everyday moments. Inspiring us to find the goodness of God, by intentionally filling our lives with beauty and pleasure.
For the exhausted mom who longs to know God better, I hope this episode gives you peace, perspective and practical ideas.
Connect with Sally Clarkson:
Site :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest
What we chat about:
Jennie’s Questions:
- How do I have a decent quiet time when I’m exhausted?
- What tips do you have for getting through challenging circumstances?
- Does a hard season have long-term impacts on your faith?
Sally’s Answers:
- Motherhood is a battleground.
- What we struggle through is normal and women for generations have experienced it.
- God created us to be in community. God is present through people.
- Build things into your life to enjoy the goodness of God.
Other topics we cover:
- Journaling prayers
- Breath prayers
- Physical rest vs. soul rest
Links Mentioned:
- Jubilee Centre
- Own Your Life: Living with Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love** by Sally Clarkson
- MomHeart Groups
- How to Study Your Bible** by Kay Arthur (Inductive Studies)
- Lacey Dobrient, “The Color Method” (Hear more about it from her interview on the podcast–Episode 63
- HelloMornings
- Philip Yancy
**Amazon Affiliate Links
Special Opportunity:
Don’t miss Jim & Lynne Jackson’s “Connected Families” online parenting course: Discipline that connects with a Child’s Heart. Registration begins February 1st for this Spring session.
The best part is you can complete the course in your own schedule.
I got a special early access sneak peak. Bruce and I sat down on the couch last week and in just 30 minutes we completed the first of six modules. Loved how we could get on the same page and learn a better way to interact with and disciple our boys.
If you are interested, click this affiliate link: GodCenteredMom.com/ConnectedFamilies.
(Jim & Lynne have been guests on the show. Check them out here: Episode 80, Episode 81, & Episode 98)
How to listen to the podcast:
1.Listen on the blog. Click through to GodCenteredMom.com and click the play button at the beginning of this post.
2. Listen on your smartphone, iPad or iPod Touch – There are a lot of great podcasting apps. Apple has a free one (that I mentioned) in the app store, there is also one called Downcast. It allows you to search for shows, subscribe to them and even speed up the audio. If you don’t have an iDevice, you can listen via Stitcher.
3. Subscribe to the Podcast – access the podcast in iTunes (Click here to access via iTunes). You can also search for it on your smartphone app (like the ones listed above) and subscribe.
I just found your podcast know it wasn’t a coincidence that this was topic for the latest episode.
I am currently experiencing sleep deprivation with my 11 month old. I can count the times he has slept 4-5 hour long stretch on one hand. He was a preemie and has been in the 5th percentile up until last month when he hit a growth spurt. Before the growth spurt he would wake every 2 hours to feed..now it’s every 3.
I feel like it’s all consuming. It’s all I talk about and feel like ppl probably get tired of me saying how tired I am. So I usually just smile and say “fine” instead of reporting how many last hours I didn’t sleep the night before. I usually don’t have the energy to get out much. I homeschool my older two kids and it is such a battle to just stay out of depression and feeling sorry for myself.
Hearing this has encouraged me tremendously. Just to know there are others who have experienced extended sleep debt and lived to tell about it. I know God is strong in my weakness and I struggle daily to depend on him and put my focus where it should be. Thanks for such a relevant listen !