This Summer Is Hot Garbage, But These Low-Effort Simple Pleasures Are Saving My Sanity

Summer is supposed to feel like a break, but for a lot of moms, it’s just a hot, sticky extension of the same mental load we carry year-round. And if you’re already burnt out, the pressure to “enjoy every moment” can push you right over the edge.

To survive this summer, I’ve started paying attention to the moments that actually help. The ones that soften the day instead of piling on. The ones that don’t cost a cent or require a big time commitment. They don’t fix everything, but they keep me from falling apart.

In this article:

Embracing Simple Pleasures Is Survival, Even if It Sounds Like Crap

Little Joys, Big Impact

How to Find Your Own Simple Pleasures (Start With What Drives You Crazy)

This post was inspired by the prompt, “What’s a simple pleasure I can embrace more fully?” from the Burnout Recovery Journal for Moms, a free downloadable resource designed to help you reconnect with yourself.

Embracing Simple Pleasures Is Survival, Even if It Sounds Like Crap

You don’t need a productivity hack, a lifestyle upgrade, or a “treat yourself” moment. You just need to find ways to add happiness to your day and enjoy your life in small ways.

You need the mental space to enjoy:

• Your coffee while it’s still hot.

• The sound of birds in the morning before anyone starts whining.

• The way your child’s curls smell after playing in the sun.

• The warm towel you just pulled from the dryer.

• A stretch that cracks your back in the exact right way.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: This sounds like gratitude bullshit. How am I supposed to “enjoy” my coffee when it’s been reheated three times and tastes like burnt stress? Why should I feel moved by a warm towel when it’s the 15th load of laundry I’ve folded this week and no one else in this house seems to know where the hamper is?

And you’re not wrong to feel that way. I’ve been there, and I still live there sometimes. It’s natural to be skeptical of advice that tells you to just “appreciate the little things” when you’re running on fumes. It can feel fake. It can feel like a joke. And sometimes it is a fake-it-til-you-feel-it thing.

But I’ll say this as someone who deals with depression: happiness, or anything even close to it, is a choice. A choice you have to make over and over again—sometimes multiple times a day, sometimes every five minutes.

Little Joys, Big Impact

I used to think I needed a spa day or a long break to recharge. And while that would be nice, it’s not the reality of my life right now.

So, I’ve learned to stop waiting for big relief and start noticing the small moments that help. Tiny resets I can actually fit into the day without scheduling childcare or spending $60 on brunch. Little joys don’t erase the hard parts, but they take the sting out of them.

Here’s what’s actually working for me right now:

• Listening to one good song or podcast while doing dishes, folding laundry, or even while I play with my son (thank you discreet earbuds).

• Swinging with my son in the hammock chair in the backyard before it gets too hot. It’s the quietest, easiest part of our day, and I try to remember his giggles and sweetness later in the evening when he transforms into a little gremlin.

• Getting hugs and kisses from my toddler, even if I have to ask for them. The occasional “Love you, Mommy” when I prompt him? I’ll take it. It’s the verbal equivalent of a reset button.

• Getting 30 to 45 minutes of alone time in the house while my husband takes our kid outside to garden. I’m not romanticizing the chore split, but when he’s out there, I can enjoy a quiet home where no one’s calling my name.

These aren’t glamorous. But they work. They keep me from snapping. They remind me that it’s not all stress and burden.

Related: When You Feel Like You Have Nothing, Look Again

How to Find Your Own Simple Pleasures (Start With What Drives You Crazy)

If you’re reading all this and thinking, Well that’s nice for you, but I have no idea what would help me feel better, start at the other end of the spectrum. Sometimes the easiest way to figure out what brings you peace is to look directly at what sends you into a tailspin.

Write down the moments when you feel like you’re about to lose it; when you feel overstimulated, touched out, ignored, underappreciated, or one request away from snapping. That list tells you exactly what’s missing and what kinds of small, doable pleasures could help refill the tank before you crash.

Examples:

• You feel most unglued when the house is loud and messy and everyone’s talking at once → You might need five minutes of silence in the car before you go back inside, or noise-canceling earbuds during dinner cleanup.

• You’re constantly being interrupted when you try to do anything alone → Maybe your pleasure is locking the bathroom door and taking a full five minutes to wash your face without an audience.

• You’re stuck in a cycle of endless chores and invisible labor → Your version of joy might be doing one task slowly, just for the sensory experience of it: folding warm towels, washing dishes while listening to a podcast, sweeping the porch while drinking cold tea.

This isn’t about escaping your life. It’s about finding small ways to live inside it without going numb or blowing up. It’s about building in buffers before the frustration reaches a boil.

So, if joy feels hard to locate right now, reverse-engineer it. Your bad days are giving you clues. Use them. Then write down one or two tiny things that could shift the mood next time.

You don’t need a whole plan. Just a few go-to moves for when it’s all too much.