Aimee Schrank is a certified holistic lifestyle coach through the IAWP, with a background in behavioral psychology, and a masters in education. She is creator of Redesigning Motherhood, a program for moms experiencing burnout. She has supported women around the country in reclaiming and redirecting misguided energy, healing their hurting hearts and broken marriages, & restoring their sense of vigor and excitement for life again. Her comprehensive approach to coaching is helping families and moms find balance and contentedness in what can often be a difficult time. Clients have said they value her passion for her work, her ability to listen without judgement, her gentle way of helping them gain clarity, and most importantly her program for helping them reconnect with themselves and their loved ones, getting their lives back on track.
This article brings up an issue that is a common struggle for many of my clients. There is some language in this article, but I still think she makes some great points.
"This is how you actually make “motivation” obsolete:
1. Really identify what is interfering with your decision making, and why. (Spoiler alert: this could be simple af, but more often than not, it’s about 348 different things). You can’t change what you do not notice.
2. Dismantle anything that is acting as a lifeline to your negative habit loop, self sabotaging behavior, or stalling points."
Easier said that done, right?
I thought some of you might get a kick out of this one. It definitely made me laugh!
My kids are 10 and 13, my schedule has drastically changed, and here I sit in the weeds again. My weeds are different this time. But here is the thing..they have given me an opportunity to practice what I preach. To be a living example of using the strategies that have helped me persevere in the pandemonium in the past, of using the strategies I teach to others.
Regardless of what your weeds look like, practice self compassion, give yourself grace, create space for stillness, make time for yourself, and nurture not only your body and spirit, but your mind too.
Can you relate?
"I would start out the day being very present and calm, but at some point, something would happen and I would lose my cool, give in, or check out. Then, I would go to bed feeling I was failing at this whole parenting gig."
We've all been there.
The key is letting go of the feelings of failure. Giving ourselves grace. Forgiving ourselves, and focusing more of our mental energy on how we do show up for our kids, not how we don't.
When we can make these critical shifts, it becomes that much easier to show up for them the next time.
"As mothers, we often start to believe that if something isn’t going right, that it’s our fault. ‘Clearly I am missing something that would make this easier.’ ‘Other moms seem to have this figured out, why can’t I?’ ‘If only I was [fill in the blank]-er, this wouldn’t be a problem right now.’ And so, dear mama, I want to say loud and clear—it’s not your fault."
"The chaos doesn't stay the same. The exhaustion fluctuates. The frustrating phases pass. The things you have time for changes. The difficult things differ. The joy remains and grows and the challenges come and go in varying degrees."
This is a great check-in-list. I waiver between feeling mentally strong and not. I don't know that anyone always feels mentally strong. Thinking that I should seems to be an illusion.
When I'm feeling my srongest I'm certainly not engaging in these behaviors. When I'm struggling I can see that I am usually doing some of these things.
The way out? Check with yourself. What behaviors are you engaging in that are causing you to suffer? Usually for me it can always be traced back to my thinking.
Resetting my thoughts to move me towards feelings of peace and love usually does the trick.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the article! Share in the comments below, and if you have something to add to the list I'd love to hear that too!
One of my intentions for 2019 is to move more. With the recent changes to our family schedule it has been harder to move as much as I know I need to.
A client of mine recently shared this lady's work with me. Thought some of you might enjoy it too.
Happy New Year. Here is to moving more in 2019!
I love this simple advice for going into a New Year.
I personally shifted away from resolutions and into intentions a few years back. It leaves me feeling lighter and freer, and feels less confining for mewhich ironically keeps me moving forward, and less likely to throw in the towel and give up on ever achieving what it is I want to acheive.
Share with us your intention or intentions this New Year. Saying it aloud it a powerful part of the manifestation process!
Merry merry and happy happy to each of you.
I know how busy this time of the year is for each of us. My wish is that you all find time to honor yourselves for the work that goes into creating memories for your loved ones, not only this time of year but throughout the year. That you find time to honor how much love goes into the decisions you make as a mom (even when we mess up you can usually trace the mess up back to an origin of love).
You are essential. What you do matters. You are more than adequate. You are loved. You are loveable. You are beautiful. Even if it’s messy.
I also wish that you each begin to embrace these ideas at your core as you move into and through 2019. When you hurt or suffer, or feel like you are messing it all up, because likely you will feel this way.find a way to come back to these principles. Ask yourself how can you see things through a more loving lens. Find the origin of your intention, and see if it’s love. I bet it is.
In the meantime even if your holiday isn’t what you dreamed.or there are moments of chaos and mayhem.focus your energy not on those moments, but on all the moments where things did go right.
Much love, Aimee
While the holidays are a time to look forward to for many, they can also be a time of stress. Intensifying feelings of overwhelm, and tension and anxiety as we spend time with those we love, but often times those who can test us as well.
I was searching for a particular article for a client, when I ran across this one, that I thought might be helpful for some.
Share your thoughts, and stories of negotiating boundaries with your loved ones Don't be shy, what you say may be just one someone else needs to hear to handle this season with the grace they long for!
What changes when you allow yourself to feel this? How would your world be different if you owned this idea?
"Unlike in generations past, today's parents can be always "on" due to everything from high-tech baby monitors to a stream of pictures and updates sent to their phones. That's what we at Motherly have termed "continuous parenting," and the risk is it not only sets parents up for fatigue, but also sends children unhealthy messages about their own boundaries.
The answer isn't to erase our kids from our minds every so often—because that simply isn't possible. But we can benefit from making the effort to step back from actively "parenting" every now and then."
Are you able to take this step back as often as your spirit needs? What does it look like when you do? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Amy Porterfield is someone I follow on a professional level. I've used her programs to help me design and create webinars and so much more. She does fantastic podcast that generally wouldn't relate to what we talk about here but this one was different. While I know not all of you are entrepreneurs, I think so much of what she shared will be familiar to many of you as moms. Heck being a mother is a lot like entrepreneurship! In short, I think this episode could be really helpful for some. Take some time to listen and share your takeaways in the comments below if you are feeling brave. I love that we are beginning to openly have these conversations, it is such a start in bringing us together and helping us all feel like we belong.
As a mom on the move, I know how hard it can be to start the morning off with a nutritious breakfast that works for your body. These days we are up by 5 for before school tennis practice, making it even harder to start the day off right.
I was craving a frittata with veggies this morning, and while I didn't have time for that, I was able to pull this deliciousness off in less than 5 minutes so I had to share.
I used leftover pan fried Brussels Sprouts from last night's dinner (you could easily use fresh greens and/or mushrooms instead), heated them up in a small pan and then tossed in two well beaten eggs. I let it sit until it began to firm up, added some fresh grated Parmesan, and then flipped.
It was divine and a new creative way for me to start the day with greens. As the weather cools down quite drastically here in MT, I just need something warm in the mornings. While I love my green smoothies and juice, certain seasons they just won't do for me.
What are some of your favorite nutritious and delicious ways to start your day?
I don't know anything about this spa, but an exfoliating spa treatment sounds nice right now! I'm sharing this article because I love the points he makes about how the change in seasons can affect your emotions. I've been talking with several moms who've been experiencing this intensely over the last few weeks.
My prediction is if you are HSP (highly sensitive person) or an empath, this is likely to be an intense or confusing time of year for you.
Have you been feeling the shift? Did you find this article helpful?
Share with us in the comments below.
Becoming a mom is transformational. It’s wonderful and it’s challenging at the same time.
We often go from foot-loose-and-fancy-free to a life riddled with responsibilities where it’s difficult to excel.
We experience feelings of guilt, shame and inadequacy as we can’t measure up to the standards and expectations we set for ourselves and our families.
We go from feeling on top of the world to feeling never enough. We go from predictable to unpredictable. We go from control to chaos.
With such monumental shifts happening simultaneously it’s easy to get stuck in the process of the transformation as it ensues. It’s easy to get stuck in the struggle and lose sight of what matters, to lose sight of ourselves and what we truly value.
I know firsthand what it’s like to get stuck and to feel broken in motherhood, and I’ve found what it takes to get unstuck, to come back to center, and to claim the happiness and inner peace that every mom desires.
If this sounds familiar, I want to invite you to my upcoming complimentary webinar, “Revolutionize Motherhood with 4 Critical Mindset Shifts that will Help You Refuel, Reconnect, And Restore Joy.”
In this webinar you’ll learn: • The 4 most common beliefs systems that keep moms feeling stuck, inadequate, unhappy, and at war with themselves and those they love • The 4 new belief systems every mother needs to acquire to revolutionize motherhood and change how she sees and experiences it. • How and why these shifts create lasting change, improved quality of life, and a sense of inner peace beyond what is imaginable. • 7 tips to effectively implement the shifts, expedite success, and ensure momentum towards greater love
Click below to get registered!