Mental Health

The low-point strikes again, except this time it was REALLY hard to get back up. Sometimes we get in ruts. And it’s NORMAL for everyone. The trick is getting yourself out. I’m usually pretty good at being aware when I’m in a rut and knowing how to get myself out of it. This one was different, this one was debilitating. Nothing really major happened to me, I just couldn’t keep going. There were a handful of reasons that may have caused the rut: overworking, not enough rest, duties of parenthood, maintaining a household, bills, etc. It gets exhausting. And if I’m not careful to balance the fun stuff with the hard stuff, I can get myself into a major rut....

We love therapy. There. I said it. Special instruction / general physical therapy? Intensive trauma therapy? Counseling for anxiety? Speech therapy? It may seem intense. (If you're counting, that's 7 therapy sessions a week!) But we believe that early intervention makes a huge difference. I have sat and watched my kids struggle. Struggle with speech, or anxiety, or the inability to regulate their own behaviors. I have searched the internet for hours on end and tried every tip and trick I could. I have asked friends and in Facebook groups and weeded through the advice to find the golden gems. But nothing compares to the trained eye of a therapist who learns YOUR child and HER needs, who is able to glean bits of information from the...

I feel as though there’s a direct correlation in the amount of responsibility we take on and the amount of time we talk about the need for self-care. That’s right, I said talk about self-care, because as a fellow mom, I know finding the time to practice self-care can be challenging. We all know that we need time for ourselves. We need time to breathe and recharge and feel whole again. We need less chaos and stress and more peace. We need an hour, a day, a solo trip to the Bahamas. This January, I created a list of quick ways that I could be more mindful and present and practice quick self-care for just a few minutes per day. Your...

Since our second child was a baby, my husband and I noticed unique quirks about his personality. We chalked it up to idiosyncrasies that were part of his overall character, but as he grew along with our understanding, we began taking more serious notice of these character traits. He was always distracted. We affectionately referred to it as being "in La-La Land." Anytime we'd give instructions, particularly multi-step instructions, he'd get lost in his own thoughts. Sometimes he'd get lost in his own room. We evolved in our parenting to develop coping mechanisms on our end and his. One night, I eliminated as many distractions as I could before I made eye contact, told him to go brush his teeth, had...

Alone time as a parent is rare. When it’s granted, we cherish it oh so preciously and do all the things we wish we could do if we didn’t have kids. We love our kids, but we also love the act of self-care and indulging in some “me time” every once in a while. It’s good for the soul, as well as the rest of the family. Sometimes we desperately need or want a break from our kids, but when they’re gone, we don’t know what to do with ourselves. Here is a list of my favorite “me time” indulgences. Sleep Can we get an AMEN? With kids running us rampant, sometimes a good nap or a morning to just sleep...