Do you ever feel exhausted and lost trying to figure out what else you could be doing to support you child's emotions?

Every child has different triggers that can make emotions tilt off the tracks, and sometimes, we can call it a roller coaster of emotions that wave through and go through the phases.

But what as parents can we actually do to support this?

I am a Mom too and I know how difficult this is.  I have felt exhausted and lost.  I have lost sleep at night trying to think of other ways I could have done things differently or things I can try or do next time.  Here is a good thing to remember when you are feeling alone and lost in the tornado of what if's -

"Just because your child had an emotional moment and you could't solve or calm the problem or emotion sooner, doesn't mean either of you did anything wrong."

Don't beat yourself up about this.  When the time is right, give long hugs and talk about how emotions can sneak up on all of us, no matter what age we are, and then teach or remind them about coping tools they can use for next time.

More food for thought... remind them that emotions don't go away and certain triggers may not go away either.  This does't need to feel like doom every time.  Focus on how to help prepare the child for the next time this may happen and again, teach coping tools to use to have a better reaction.

There are a few things that we can do that will really help our children maintain more balanced emotions -

• Model the behavior
• Use the coping tools you want them to learn how to use
• Do a relaxing activity every day (walks, yoga, stretch, deep breathe, meditate)
• Keep them on a sleep schedule
• Offer nutritious foods starting with breakfast (fruits, veggies, protein, healthy fats)
• Limit screen time
• Limit activities that you know will cause them to have a change in behavior (aggressive play, movies, or video games)
• Ditch food coloring
• Ditch sugar and too many processed foods (fast food, candy, soda, fake juices)
• Learn to use aromatherapy and herbs to assist in keeping emotions balanced
• Inspire them every day to do, learn, or explore something that they think is amazing
• Remind them they are loved
• Tell them when they do a great job at something
• Tell them you trust their decision making because they are super good at ___________
• Tell them about a decision you need to make and ask what they would do
• Get them involved in activities that can boost their self esteem and confidence (for low cost or free activities check with your local library, church, recreational center, schools, join parent groups and create something to do)

We can offer our kiddos support in soooo many ways, we just have to do it.

I also want to add this in, sometimes when we are used to conventional medicine we seem to want to instantly think about "diagnoses".  Google searches can cause nightmares... I know you KNOW what I am talking about.

So what if you started by asking yourself these questions -

• Am I supporting my child to feel loved and safe?
• Am I doing my best to offer my child a solid sleep routine?
• Am I doing my best to remove foods that I have learned can cause over stimulation, headaches, stomach aches, sleepless nights, behavioral changes, inflammation, sugar spikes, etc.?
• Am I modeling the behavior for my children that I want to see them model?
• Am I offering support when they need it by being a good listener?
• Am I letting them make some of their own decisions and do their own acitivies without over parenting so they can learn and boost confidence?
• Am I giving them multiple compliments a day to help boost their self esteem?

Here are more resources you may like -

​Morning Tasks to Boost Kids Positivity

Tips to Overcome Overwhelm

Five Day Wellness Challenge

Essential Oils for Anxiety

Creating Balance

If you are ready to gain your valuable energy, sleep, focus, and time back by learning coping tools to stay emotionally balanced for you and your child, book a call today to get started!

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Does the thought of starting a wellness routine make you cringe? 

Is it exhausting just thinking about trying to squeeze one more thing in your schedule? 

I know it sounds like so much, but I promise with a little practice and starting with baby steps, you can grow into a wellness routine in no time.

Check out this five day wellness challenge that is completely doable for you and your kiddo!  But before you get started reviewing the days, here is how this challenge plays out.

On the first week of starting the challenge, it is okay to do the one task that is listed on that day.  However, moving into the following week after you have tried each activity, I want you to have a plan to do as many as these as possible or all each day for 5 days!  I know it sounds like a lot, but that is why you can do a practice week just to assess how much time it may take you to do the activity and any adjustments in your schedule you may need to make.

You can do the activities alone with a separate time slot for you and another for your child, or complete the activity together.

As you are going though the list, I also want to note that if there is something you absolutely would not consider doing, think about what would be a great alternative.  I will add a few alternative ideas below as well for you.

So let's start a wellness routine!

Day 1 - Take two daily breaks for self care time.  This time slot must be at least ten to fifteen minutes long each.  During this time you can choose to read a book, do a hand or foot scrub, put on face mask, spend time outdoors, go for a walk, stretch, do sound therapy, or any other activity that you can do in the time frame you took out that makes you feel relaxed.

Day 2 - Meditate or get in a good yoga or stretch session.  This time frame should be longer than fifteen minutes.  This is different than your two shorter breaks that help you to recoup your thoughts or rest your mind during your busy day.  This time is to really allow yourself time to focus on clearing your mind or stretching the body and getting your circulatory and lymphatic systems flowing more freely.  This time should be with a goal in mind to increase physical and or mental wellness.

Day 3 - Journal your worries, dreams, & daily goals.  Give yourself at least ten minutes to journal.  If you do not like to journal than write down a few goals and dreams you have (short term or long term).  Hang them up where you can see them every day.

Day 4 - Spend time in nature.  Give yourself at least fifteen minutes to be nature, looking into nature, spending time outdoors or by the window, gardening, planting, caring for household plants, or simply sitting under a tree or at a park bench.  But here is the kicker... pay attention to what you are actually seeing.  Look at the dynamic of the trees and flowers.  Notice the moon and stars.  Watch the sunrise or sunset.  Let you mind get lost in nature and feel free and grounded with earth.  This is extremely helpful to promote calm or prevent anxiety.

Day 5 - Walk, swim, or workout.  Pick up the pace!  Can you do thirty minutes?  If not, at least fifteen minutes would be great.  Increase your energy levels and burn excessive built up negative energy.

Let's break this down and see what this could look like in a real busy Mom's day!

I will use myself for the example and tell you exactly what I would be putting in my calendar.

* I will get up thirty minutes every day and have coffee before the kids wake, check for urgent emails, and check my calendar to plan my day accordingly to everyone's schedules, my work schedule, and my wellness routine.  I will note the exact times I can get my activities in.

* I will give myself thirty minutes before bed to review my day and look ahead at tomorrow.  Then I will sneak in a few minutes of a hallmark movie.  I will go to bed on time so I can wake on time so I do not want to snooze.

* Every day I will stretch in the morning and in the evening.

*. Everyday I will write down thoughts, goals, dreams, worries, or new wellness areas I would like to try that could help me achieve some of my goals.  I will hang my notes up so everyday when I am feeling lost on what to do, I will be reminded of what I could be doing and why.

* I will be sure to allow myself time to take care of my skin every morning and night because that is important to me.

* I will be sure to go outside on nice days with the kids and play, go for a walk, go on an adventure, tend to the garden, etc.

* I will be sure to do cardio at least three times a week to rid excessive energy that does not serve me in healthful way.  The other two days I will go for a walk outside or walk on the treadmill while listening to a podcast or watching a webinar that promotes education or happiness.

What did I take out of my day your ask?

I took out watching TV.  The morning news made me anxious so I quit watching it years ago.  I check the weather on my weather app instead.

I took out cleaning time.  I know, I know... this is a hard one!  But here is the thing, I just simply got sick of doing squats while picking up trying to two things at once.  It didn't work that well and no matter how many things I picked up or how many squats I did, it wasn't the same relaxing feeling as if I would just accomplish one task at a time.  Now I can get my workout in, feel more energized, and clean what needs to be cleaned and leave what can wait.

I took time out trying to be super organized and have every cabinet perfected.  These kids will only be young once and I will have A LOT of time when they are older to organize.  Besides, cleaning and organizing with kids in the house is like trying to vacuum during a tornado!

I started to say NO.  This one is BIG!  Are you living your life or someone else's dream?  Are you doing things because you really want to and going to events or being places you really want to be or just doing it to be nice?  I bet there are things in your day you would love to say NO to that are actually possible to say no to.  Just take a peek at how much time you are spending doing things that cause you anxiety, stress, your children stress, and so forth.

That's a wrap my friend.  I believe in you and know that you can amp up your wellness routine for you and your sweet kiddo.

Oh, and here a list of other wellness and self care ideas you could swap if you wanted for the challenge -

• get a massage
• do a foot detox
• get cupping done
• infrared sauna session
• foot scrub or self pedi
• go for boat ride
• go snowshoeing
• join a swim aerobic class
• sit in a sauna
• make relaxing roller ball blend to use
• take a relaxing epsom salt bath

I would love to hear how it went!  And if you love ideas like this or shorty challenges, then be sure to subscribe to my free wellness emails full of wellness tips and info... and be the first to know about an upcoming shortie wellness class that will be available soon!

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 I was always super busy and always on the go before becoming a Mom.  The busy after becoming a Mom and the stressors were all of a sudden completely different though.  For instance, it is crazy how we can have a day planned out to a T but then have to add in forty-seven Mom call interruptions, bathroom runs, diaper changes, feeding breaks that are off the norm, clean ups in aisles 5, 7, & 9, and the list goes on!

We become robotic in nature just trying to keep up.  Our energy levels become depleted.

Other sources that can literally be burning our energy without us knowing would be our physical, social, and mental functions.

Our mind is running nonstop after having kiddos.  There are more worries all around, the to do list changes each year as they age, and we need to find a new type of balance.  The work/momlife balance.  If we cannot take time to nuture ourselves and create this balance, we will continue to let our minds run 24/7, depleting our valuable energy levels.

Physically if we have become robotic, we are already disconnected from the mind/body balance connection we need in order to sustain energy.  Our bodies are not meant to run 24/7.  Rest and sleep on a regular basis gives our body time to heal, nourish, and recover.  And I am talking good rest.  What is your sleep quality?

Socially we can pulled in different directions by different people including our own family members.  People pleasing and making others happy before our own happiness can deplete energy levels very quickly. 

Finding the courage to say "no" when something is going to cause a crinkle in your schedule is key.  Finding the strength within to be able to stay strong when you do say "no" is also key. 

You will need to learn to stand your ground and only do what is right and functional for you and your family.  After all, you are the leader right?  Good leaders need energy to stay strong. 

How many things are you doing in a week that you don't actually even care to do?  Or, how many things are you doing that cause you anxiety or that you just absolutely dread doing?

Here is a BIG energy user --> Storing old emotions you don't care to deal with or were never taught to deal with.

Emotions are stored in our organs... yes, I said organs.  Our lungs are said to hold onto sadness and grief, our heart carries joy, the spleen stores worries, anger sits in the liver, and fear burrows in the kidneys. 

Have you ever noticed when your are sad your chest feels heavy?  Interesting right? 

How would your body function if you pulled the emotions out of your organs?  How do you think you would feel?  I think most of us would maybe feel like pulling an elephant out of our stomach!  At least that is how I felt after doing the framework I created to create balance and restore energy. 

The point is, we are letting our valuable energy get depleting every single day.  It isn't easy to recognize this because we are too busy to take the time to do so or don't even think that this could be the first step in holding on to precious energy.

The steps to get through this before even talking about natural ways to increase energy levels (I will save that for a different blog) are here -

1.  Take an hour out of every day for the next two weeks to review your days, your mood, your energy levels, and note any patterns you see.
2.  Once you see a pattern, find the root cause of why you are feeling depleted at that time.  It could very well be you aren't exercising, hydrating, or eating healthy enough, but it could also very well be one of the above reasons as well.  What is the real cause?
3.  Now the hard work.  How can you fix it?  What can you do to resolve the issue causing the energy loss? 

Do you need to say "no" to something every single week to free up some "me" time.  

Do you need to create balance in your work/social/motherhood/wife life to function better on a day to day basis?

Do you need to learn ways to forgive, heal, deal with, or move on from certain emotions?

4.  What steps can you take to tackle the root cause?

Do you need to have a massage every other week to help decrease stress?

Do you need to take more time for yourself and your children to really be able to be in the moments and see what everyone is needing emotionally or to stay balanced?

Could using aromatherapy, herbs, tinctures, flower essences, or other natural products help assist you with what you are going through during the process of healing, dealing, feeling, forgiving, etc.?

Do you need someone to help guide you through your energy flows and help you to create a more balanced pattern?

Do you need someone to teach the options of natural therapies and productrs that may work best for you and your children?

Maybe you already know your root cause and are ready to explore natural options to start boosting your energy level asap.  Natural therapies and products that can amp up your mood and motivation to get to that balanced place you want to be at more quickly?

5.  The even harder part.  JUST DO IT!  Take the time and spend the money to have someone help you or get the massages you know would help you relax.  Whatever you think may help, just do it!  Because here is the thing -

• You will not have any more time in a few weeks
• You will not have any more money saved
• You will not stay focused and motivated to continue to do what needs to be done
• You will not learn anything
• You will not get any closer to being balanced
• You will not get closer to a good night's sleep with less worry
• You will not model the tools needed to stay balanced to teach your children so they can use stay balanced
• You will continue in the energy depleting pattern you are currently in

That is NOT what you want.  I know that.  You got this!   Just do the work and do what needs to be done to get you to a place of better balance.  

Your energy is valuable and only YOURS.  You only have so much of it.  Cherish it and use it wisely.  💜  Jamie