As many of you know, January saw the start to my new Virtual Parent Coaching program. If you missed any of the weekly parenting tips (these are not posted on my blog) and would like to join me and receive them, please sign up HERE.
January’s focus was around setting parenting goals for the up and coming year and becoming more intentional in our parenting practice. We finished January with the Raising Yourself Tip Of The Week:
Making Sure That Your Parenting Practices Are
Moving You Towards Your Goals
After the holidays you were most probably pretty motivated and ready to embrace the New Year; a fresh start with new beginnings with you being more focused on you. You might have given up wine for the month, gone to the gym twice a week, started going to bed earlier, started meditating, made a conscious decision to work on something pertaining to your parenting practice. Whatever it was, I’m guessing that you felt PRETTY GOOD.
You were energized.
I’m curious:
- What do you think the effect of this was on your parenting practice during January?
- Did you feel more patient with your kids, have more energy, feel less over-whelmed?
Many Moms I work with find that around about now, in February, the “bad” habits are starting to make some guest appearances and time for THEM and self-motivation is dwindling from their lives.
For the month of February we are going to be looking at HOW you move towards your goals and why the focus will be on YOU. I am going to help you plug the “Losing Me Time” drain because it is vitally important that you do.
It can be a slippery slope. I want to help you recognize the slide and stop the slow leak before you get into the red and past the point of no return.
We simply cannot hope to do anything well from a place of over-whelm with a flat, uncharged battery. Take a look at the picture at the top of this blog post.
- Where are you on Mt. Life right now?
- Where do you typically find yourself?
This month you are going to discover what it is you need in order to raise yourself, parent well and thrive from the top of Mt. Life.
“When I talk about planning, I always encourage people to start with themselves. It’s like the inflight instructions about placing your own air mask first. You can only help others if you’re functioning well yourself.”
Michael Hyatt
Knowing what you need is only part of the solution.
DOING what you know you need is the much bigger and infinitely harder part.
Ask yourself some questions:
- What do I need?
- Where do I get my energy from? Really think about this one.
- If I could give myself time for 5 things for me this week, what would they be?
- When do I feel my best?
- What is it that motivates and energizes me?
February is going to be dedicated to discovering what your self-care threshold is, in order for you to stay balanced and above the line AND… to finding a way to make sure you honor it.
- Where are your minimum requirements?
- What do you notice when the scales tip the wrong way?
We are all unique and likewise, our needs will all be different.
Here’s the crucial piece.
Here is the key to helping you thrive with your 5, (the things that you know you really HAVE to have happen in your life in order to raise yourself):
You HAVE to schedule time for the 5
I have a color for MY SELF-CARE PRACTICES on my iCal and I schedule everything I know I need to do to function well and thrive.
The mere act of writing them down feels good and I find that when they’re in my diary as an event there is a much stronger likelihood of me doing them. And, at the end of the week when I reflect on it, it’s energizing to see the things I have done for ME.
If it seems like too selfish an act to practice extreme self-care, it can sometimes help to see it from the perspective of the benefits that doing so will bring to your own behaviors with your children.
“Self-Care is the first step you have to take in order to ensure that your parenting behaviors take you towards your parenting goals”
Louise Clarke
For those of you signed up to the Virtual Parent Coaching Program that this blog post is a part of, I’ll be sending out three more tips throughout February pertaining to this theme. If you are not signed up and would like to be a part of this incredible journey with me, please do so HERE.
Till then, do what you need to do to come from a place of strength and thrive with your five!
Partnering You
PS. Why not head over to the YPP FB page and in the comment section under this post, share your 5? It will be fun to see what they are and get some ideas.
PPS. For more information on Self-Care see “Oblivious to the Obvious”.
