I heard this yesterday on the Girls Next Door Podcast (one of my favorites, by the way).
This was said by Erica Ladd, one of the show’s cohosts, and it really resonated with me. I think she said she got it from a therapy session.
Well, thank you, Erica’s therapist! I really love that. I may have to tattoo it on my arm or something.
Sometimes the kids will be fighting and I just find myself getting so caught up in all of it. Feeling miserable because at that moment, they are not happy and not propagating the calm atmosphere that I might be craving (especially at the end of a work day). Or maybe I’m just stressed myself because some unexpected task got dumped on top of what was already a busy day.
But if my energy is my own, I can remind myself of that, take some deep breaths, issue consequences/take action if needed, and move on. I think this is why doing things to consciously cultivate a certain kind of energy can be powerful: a scented candle or playlist or whatever the case may be. They will remind you in those moments that even if others may not be entirely on board, you still get to choose your own energy.
(This also goes beyond kids. It extends farther than that, at least for me.)
Case in point: G has back at school an entire 3 days and has a runny nose. At least I can be quite confident it’s unlikely to be COVID! I just read her 3 books and now our nanny has arrives (yay) so I can get some other things done. (I am off today anyway but have a few podcast things to do plus taking A to get her retainer placed today).
My morning got slightly derailed but my energy remains intact. And I did greatly enjoy the last hour of snuggling and reading with this runny nosed girl.
4 Comments
Ahh daycare/school germs! We have had a healthier year than usual due to all the mask wearing and social distancing but our son had a runny nose this fall so we got Covid tests – all negative. At least you won’t have to do that for every potential Covid symptom. I’m hoping for a healthier winter than usual now that we have a newborn. But I am not getting my hopes up too much.
That is a good mantra from Erica! I’m so behind on podcasts but hope to listen to their latest episode this week.
I love that advice too–the whole episode was great. I’m thinking of this advice when parenting at the end of the day, adjusting to the many COVID related shifts at work this year, and working with students. My energy is my own.
Love that mantra, have already repeated it several times this morning, thanks!!
Love that! When asked to reflect about a lesson I learned from 2020, I came up with “remember your boundaries” but I was prefer this version! I think that parenting taught me the importance of that more than COVID did but let’s say that it was reinforced last year! 🙂