SOS Tips & Tools for Motherhood

You’ve got this Mama!

“For those who have experienced, no words are necessary. For those who haven’t, no words can describe”. 

Breathe

Inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, exhale for a count of 8. Do this for 2 minutes. Teach and model the importance of conscious breathing to children too. You can adjust your count, just make sure to exhale for twice as long as you inhale.

Our breath is the portal for turning on the relaxation response aka parasympathetic nervous system. We can trick our brain out of fight, flight or freeze (sympathetic nervous system engagement) by slowing our breathing. This in turn lowers our blood pressure and heart rate. You hold magic!

Balance Blood Sugars

1. Balancing blood sugar allows us to reduce our biological/chemical stress and is the biggest needle mover to health
2. Drink more water
3. Evaluate best protein source for you: plant or animal
4. Add more healthy fats
5. Eat more, not less: increase quality. Balance macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fat) at each meal
6. Consistent meal timing: breakfast within an hour of waking, meals 4-5 hours apart, eat protein and carbs within 45 minutes after exercise
7. Sleep: lack of sleep raises grehlin, hunger hormone, raises cortisol, body will look for sugar and caffeine
   *Caffeine plays havoc on blood sugars
8. Movement: “When you want to change the emotion, change the motion” -Tony Robbins. Move your body to circulate energy and blood flow. Go for a power walk/run in the forest, lift weights, do yoga, hop on your bike. I am a huge fan of outdoor cardio and gym workouts with minimal rest, keeping heart rate up, but you won’t catch me on an elliptical in the gym!

Essential Oils

Diffuse and apply topically relaxing and uplifting blends such as lavender, peppermint and citrus

Mantra

“You’ve got this Mama”
“Surrender and pivot”
“This is just a season. This too shall pass”
“Give yourself permission to slow down and play”
“Give yourself some grace”
“You can’t pour from an empty cup”
“Feed your soul with things that feed your soul”

Meditation

10 minutes daily with meditation app of your choice. Calm, Waking Up, Insight Timer etc. I do it nightly with my children.

Create a Nourishment Menu

• Fresh air, nature, sunshine
• Light a candle at mealtimes
• Fresh flowers
• Music
• Dance parties in the kitchen with kids
• Connect on phone or in person with supportive friends/family/mamas
• Read/Audible/podcasts
• Bath with epsom salts, baking soda and essential oil
• Hugs and cuddles
• Apologize and repair when you lose your temper
• Lower your expectations, protect boundaries, ask for help
• Automate (i.e. online groceries, meal kit delivery, prepare for morning night before etc.), Delegate (i.e. daycare, house cleaner etc.), Eliminate (let go of need for perfectly clean and tidy house, polished appearance, and things that don’t feed your soul).
• Reframe and broaden perspective. Mindset is king. “The only time we suffer is when we argue with reality.” -Byron Katie
• Time away from stressor aka children
• Mani/pedi
• Massage
• Acupuncture
• Reflexology
• Facial
• And more…


“Embrace this season of life.. for it is just that, a season. Even though the path is riddled with rocks and mud and muck, the flowers blooming along the path are too beautiful to miss” – Emily Ley in Grace Not Perfection

Stress is experienced when a stressor is applied to your life and you feel you don’t have the resources to respond. The key is to trust that everything that happens to you would not occur if you did not have the tools to deal with it. The stressor aka external pressure, is happening for you to grow and build the tools you need. 

You are not alone, we always come out of situations that are difficult and we come out changed. It takes time, but just as you birthed a new life, new life is being birthed in you. A new level of growth and evolution. A new horizon of living.

Be more graceful with yourself, trust that you are held and supported and there will be a new day around the corner. Embrace the circus. The days are long but the years are short.

Megan