Ways Parents Can Add More Happiness to the Day
Parenting wears you down in quiet, relentless ways. The noise, the needs, the endless cycle of cleaning up the same three messes—it all adds up until you forget what feeling good even feels like. We keep waiting for a break. For bedtime. For the weekend. For summer. For “when things calm down.”
But happiness isn’t something that shows up when your life finally gets easier because that moment might not come. Not soon, anyway. If we want to feel joy, we have to make room for that feeling on purpose. Which, yes, sounds like another task to add to your never-ending list. But this one can actually lighten the load.
Instead of just handing you a list and leaving you to figure it out, I’m showing you how I make it work in my real life.
In this article:
My Real-Life Morning Routine for a Happier Day
Simple Habits That Boost My Mood in the Afternoon Slump
Peaceful Evenings With Joyful Moments Before the Bedtime Routine
You Don’t Need More Time, Energy, or Toxic Positivity to Be Happier
This post was inspired by the prompt, “How can I create more joyful moments in my daily routine?” from the Burnout Recovery Journal for Moms, a free downloadable resource designed to help you reconnect with yourself.
My Real-Life Morning Routine for a Happier Day
I don’t start my morning with a gratitude meditation or deep breathing. I start it with a demanding toddler and a house still covered in yesterday’s mess. But I still carve out joy.
Enjoying hot coffee: I queue up Bluey when my coffee hits that perfect temperature—not boiling lava, not cold disappointment—and I sit uninterrupted for one full episode.
Listening to a podcast: Oatmeal with peanut butter and honey is one of the rare, drama-free meals my son enjoys. While he eats, I sneak in half of a RedHanded episode because true crime over breakfast just works for me.
Going outside: My son sits on my lap as we swing in our hammock chair during that golden mid-morning lull—before the Tennessee heat turns savage. We both need the fresh air and sunshine on our faces.
Then comes the nap. Blessed, glorious nap.
Resting or writing: I don’t “get ahead” by cleaning or prepping for the afternoon. I have 90 minutes to do something for myself. Sometimes I close my eyes, sometimes I write, which is therapy to me.
Simple Habits That Boost My Mood in the Afternoon Slump
By afternoon, I’m running on fumes. The hours between 2 and 6 p.m. feel like a slow descent into madness. Joy doesn’t come easily here, but I force it in—like smuggling contraband into a prison.
Listening to music that makes me feel alive: Dancing like it’s 1999 recharges my maternal batteries, even if it’s Kidz Bop doing Blink 182’s All The Small Things. My son likes watching me be weird, and nothing is weirder than mommy rocking out to tunes from the last century.
Scrolling through photos: My son turns two this Sunday and I’m skipping a party, but I’m feeling a touchsentimental. Although I was so uncomfortable pregnant and the first year as a new mom was rough, I can look at those old pictures with rose-colored glasses. Was it really that bad? Yes, but it’s over.
Texting a friend: I get a text from my best friend about her toddler faceplanting and going to the ER for stitches. I feel awful for her, but also relieved. We’re all out here doing our best and falling apart. That shared struggle? That’s joy’s cynical cousin, and she’s just as welcome.
Finding something to laugh about: I can always count on my son to make me smile, like him peeing on his own face while potty training. Motherhood is hard, but he sure makes it funny.
Peaceful Evenings With Joyful Moments Before the Bedtime Routine
By dinner time, I’m dragging. I’m talked out and so deep into decision fatigue I can’t remember if I fed the dog. But this is when I need to find the fulfillment the most—because, you know, the witching hour is upon us.
Watching sweet co-parenting: My husband comes home and takes over. He and our son head out for their evening ritual of watering the plants. Watch from the window fills me. It’s also my opportunity to fold laundry while my guilty-pleasure show plays in the background.
Creating a mini-spa: Balancing personal needs with motherhood is difficult with a toddler whose main objective is to be my shadow. But I can create my own spa moment by letting him play with bath toys at my feet while I shower. Just six minutes for an exfoliating mask that renews my entire mood.
Appreciating the quiet: We lie in bed, and my son curls his warm little body into mine. I’m my son’s safe place, and he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be. Co-sleeping isn’t for everyone, but it’s a full reset for me, erasing every tantrum, every “no,” every loud and lonely moment from the day.
You Don’t Need More Time, Energy, or Toxic Positivity to Be Happier
How can I create more joyful moments in my daily routine…
…when I don’t have time?
You don’t need an hour. You need 30 seconds of music that renews your soul or a 2-minute text convo with a friend who gets it. The problem isn’t time—it’s creating micro-moments that keep you emotionally afloat.
…when I don’t have the energy?
You don’t need energy to smile at your kid while lying on the couch. Or to sit outside and let the sun warm your face without multitasking. Real joy doesn’t require a second wind—it gives you one. Start small. Start tired. Start anyway.
…when “happiness” doesn’t come naturally?
Perfect. That means your joy won’t be fake. You can be cynical, cranky, exhausted—and still laugh at something dumb your kid says. You don’t have to be a bubbly, sunshine-loving optimist to feel happy or practice joy. In fact, that’s when it matters most.
Happiness is the thread that holds you together. It isn’t the reward for having it all together. Joy lives in moments you’ve been trained to overlook. And those are the ones that count the most.
So don’t wait for it. Don’t try to earn it. Build it in the cracks. Let it be messy, weird, secret, sweet, and, yes, even fleeting.
