DC Metro Mom

It can be challenging to support your child sometimes if they are wired to be a little on the anxious or intense side. These periods of overwhelm often strike without warning. Sleepovers, tests, teams, all these can trigger anxiety or upset which can lead to worry, sleep problems, and general stress.

As parents, it can be hard to hold these emotions because it just feels like too much sometimes. Or, it could be that our own anxiety gets activated which can make it doubly hard to contain a set of charged feelings. But there are ways to tackle this very common problem.

Below is a mind - body toolkit to support kids with their intense feelings:

1. Images and imagery are wonderful tools to help children calm down and relax. Ask your            child to think of a picture of an animal or a place or something that helps her relax. You can remind your child to think of this image when they are feeling stressed.

As a mom of 2, running my own business, and an avid lover of life and community.. I noticed something recently. I have NOT BEEN TAKING CARE OF MYSELF! AGH!

One of my all-time favorite experiments is what I lovingly dub the “chock full ’o stress” study, done by Stanford professor Baba Shiv and Alexander Fedorikhin.   They divided college student participants into two groups, asking the first group to remember a two-digit number, and the second group to remember a seven-digit number.  The participants then walked down a hallway, where they were offered the choice between two snacks:  fresh fruit or chocolate cake. 

And this is where it gets interesting: the participants who were tasked with the seven-digit number, our group two gunners, were twice as likely to choose the cake.

From Pregnancy to Motherhood: North American Culture Shock

Last week I wrote about the new science of self-compassion in the Washington Post blog, ‘On Parenting.’ Writing that post got me thinking about how our society treats us when we first become mothers. I wonder if this could be part of why it’s so hard for us to actually be kind to ourselves?

I have the best job in DC.  I really , really don't like to brag about it. ...because honestly it's a ton of work.  But , there's no doubt in my mind that teaching yoga in Washington, DC is the best job. The joy, peace and calm that we bring to people is unbelievably rewarding.  My children are growing up around positive , motivated and kind people who embrace them with love. This community that we are building is growing..

I recently had the honor to go and see Thich Nhat Hanh at the Warner Theater in DC. He is a teacher, a spiritual leader and a Zen master. He lives at Plum Village in France. One of the things that most attracts me to his teachings and his Sangha ( community) is the way they embrace families and children on the spiritual path. They have family retreats and welcome children to their center and they have published a number of children’s books (awesome).

The laundry is piling up, dishes have to be done, your 2 year old needs a diaper change, your 4 year old is demanding your attention and you just realized your 8 year old has been watching TV for over an hour - you are OVERWHELMED, feeling GUILTY, and just want to take shower!  What can you do to remain the "eye of the hurricane" - calm, tranquil, and in-control while NOT neglecting your own needs? This is a never-ending challenge in the world of motherhood.

Moms do you:

• Feel overwhelmed?
• Experience a lack of balance and/or fulfillment?
• Are you sensing a loss of identity?
• Do you desire change?
• Are you going through a transition?
• Do you want more out of life?

We have all felt the pressure to be supermoms! Let's face it; with all that we do for our loved ones, we don't have as much time as we once did for ourselves. I have been there! As a mother of two young children, I struggled to find balance and fulfillment in my own life. I truly believe we can all have the best of both worlds. We can be, loving nurturing mothers to our families, as well as happy fulfilled women.  It is with that very ideal I chose to create Embracing Transformations.