November 2024
"Savor” is all about slowing down to enjoy the moments that matter in the holiday season, rather than rushing through it all and feeling drained. Savoring reminds you that it’s not about cramming in every activity or making everything perfect, but about finding joy in the little moments. Being present is key to fully enjoying the moment.
Here's the science behind savoring and how it supports well-being:
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Boosts Positive Emotions: Savoring encourages focus on positive experiences, increasing feelings of joy, gratitude, and happiness, which counterbalance holiday stress.
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Reduces Stress: By staying present, savoring can reduce stress and calm the mind, lowering stress hormones and promoting relaxation.
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Enhances Emotional Resilience: Regular savoring builds emotional strength, making it easier to handle holiday challenges and bounce back from setbacks.
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Improves Life Satisfaction: Studies show that savoring leads to greater life satisfaction, as it promotes a more positive outlook on everyday experiences.
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By focusing on savoring the holiday season, you’re approaching the days with a mindset that emphasizes joy and resilience, nurturing your own well-being and savoring the moments and people that bring you real joy.
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October 2024
Flexibility:
This Ultimate Life Hack for Momwhelmed Moms is your Superpower!
Flexible means being able to adjust or adapt when things don't go as planned—whether it's shifting your schedule when something unexpected happens or finding a new way to tackle a problem when the original plan doesn't work out. For stressed-out, momwhelmed moms, it’s about going with the flow and staying resilient, even when life throws curveballs.
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Flexibility isn’t just a skill—it’s your secret weapon in the world of momwhelm life. When your day turns upside down, these ultimate life hacks will help you roll with the punches and laugh at the madness.
The science behind flexibility and resilience is rooted in cognitive flexibility, which helps the brain adapt to new situations and find alternative solutions. This ability improves problem-solving, emotional regulation, and stress management. When moms are flexible, it reduces stress by lowering cortisol levels and strengthens neural pathways responsible for decision-making. This helps build long-term emotional resilience, making it easier to stay calm and bounce back from challenges.
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Being flexible helps you build resilience by
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·making it easier to adapt to changes and challenges;
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preventing burnout from trying to control everything; and
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allowing you to bounce back faster when things go wrong, reducing stress and improving emotional resilience.
September 2024
COMPASSION and RESILIENCE
Compassion, especially self-compassion, helps build resilience for momwhelmed moms like you in several ways:
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1. Reduces Stress: Self-compassion allows you to acknowledge your struggles without harsh self-criticism. This acceptance can lower stress levels, helping you respond to challenges more calmly.
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2. Enhances Emotional Regulation: Compassion encourages you to treat yourself with kindness during tough moments. This emotional regulation means you’ll be able to navigate stress more effectively, leading to better decision-making and less reactive behavior.
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3. Fosters a Growth Mindset: By viewing setbacks as part of the learning process rather than failures, self-compassion helps you embrace challenges and learn from them, enhancing your resilience.
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4. Builds a Supportive Inner Dialogue: Compassionate self-talk replaces negative self-judgment, creating a more encouraging internal supportive environment. This mindset shift helps you bounce back from difficulties with greater confidence.
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5. Promotes Healthy Boundaries: Compassion encourages you to prioritize your well-being and set boundaries. This practice not only protects your mental health but also empowers you to be a better advocate for yourself.
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6. Strengthens Connections: When you practice compassion towards yourself, it helps you become more empathetic and understanding toward others. This can lead to stronger relationships and a supportive community, further enhancing their resilience.
By fostering a culture of kindness—both towards yourself and others—you can cultivate the resilience needed to navigate the ups and downs of momwhelm daily life with confidence and ease.
COMPASSION
So, what exactly is compassion?
At its core, it's the ability to understand and share in the feelings of others. It’s about recognizing when someone—including yourself—is struggling and responding with care and understanding.
And now here it is…‘Momwhelm Style’:
Compassion is the superpower that lets you handle your toddler’s tantrum, your teenager’s mood swings and your own ‘I need a break’ moment all in one day—while still managing to smile at the barista when they spell your name wrong. It’s that magical ability to care deeply, even when you’re running on empty.
Compassion is what happens when you mix love, patience and a little bit of ‘I’ve got this’ attitude—even if you’re making it up as you go!
COMPASSION FOR YOURSELF
Let’s start with the hardest part—being kind to yourself.
Especially when you’ve got a to-do list longer than your grocery receipt. But guess what? You’re juggling a lot and it’s okay to admit it’s tough, even when it feels like you’re just holding it all together with duct tape and dry shampoo.
So, this month, when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try this: Take a deep breath and remind yourself that it’s okay not to be perfect. Hey, it’s even okay to have a ‘pajamas all day’ kind of day. You deserve a break (and maybe an extra cookie).
COMPASSION FOR YOUR KIDS
What about those little humans who think you’re a superhero? Yes, even when they’re covered in marker and insist that mac and cheese counts as a vegetable.
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Compassion for your kids from little ones to tweens and teens means understanding that they’re learning, growing - even testing your patience like it’s their full-time job. The next time you find yourself on the verge of a meltdown over spilled milk (literally) or they're stomping off to their rooms, try to remember they’re just young humans figuring out this whole ‘life’ thing.
COMPASSION FOR OTHERS
Finally, let’s spread some of that compassion to the rest of the world—like the delivery person who gave you your neighbor's package instead of yours (again!) or the grocery store cashier who’s had a long day.
We’re all doing our best, even if it looks a little messy around the edges. A smile, a kind word or even just letting someone go ahead of you in line can make a huge difference.
JOY IS NOT THE SAME AS HAPPY
August 2024
JOYFUL MOMENTS
Here are some joyful moments that would deserve a high five (or at least a fist bump):
1. The Unsolicited Hug: Out of nowhere, your little one gives you a big, unsolicited hug. No reason, just pure love. It’s a joy that melts your heart and makes all the chaos worthwhile.
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2. The Perfect Parking Spot: You pull into the grocery store, and there it is—the perfect parking spot right near the entrance. It’s like the universe knew you needed a break. Enjoy that short walk, momma!
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3. The Forgotten Giggle: You remember something funny your child said last week, and it still makes you giggle. Like when they called spaghetti “long noodles” or insisted that broccoli are “tiny trees.” These moments are joy preserved in time.
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4. The Quiet Morning: You woke up before everyone else and enjoyed a few precious moments of peace and quiet. You sipped your coffee, watched the sunrise, and breathed in the serenity. These are the moments that recharge your mind and spirt.
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They’re the little reminders that joy is always within reach, even in the midst of our busy lives.
RESILIENCE AND JOY
Resilience is about bouncing back when life throws you curveballs—whether it’s dealing with your preschooler’s latest mess or keeping your cool through a tween or teen’s unpredictable moods. It’s like having a personal reset button that helps you keep going, even when things get tough.
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Now, finding joy again isn’t the same as resilience, but it can help build it. When you experience moments of joy, you’re giving yourself a mental and emotional boost.
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These joyful moments act as small reserves of strength, helping you manage stress and recover more easily from the daily challenges of motherhood. Over time, these moments of joy contribute to building up your resilience, making it a bit easier to handle what life throws your way.