The holiday season makes us busy in preparing, decorating, cooking, going outside to visit other places, gathering with friends and relatives. These activities are very enjoyable because it makes us happy and forget somehow life’s circumstances that we experienced from time to time.
Many of us will be going to spend time with numerous groups of people, travel to the nearby town or provinces, and go to places that kids will surely enjoy! But be wary that these days could also mean increased exposure to microorganisms like bacteria and viruses that can predispose our kids to develop illnesses.
To help protect children during the holiday season, you can try the following ways to make them healthy.
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Consider boosting your child’s immunity with vitamins and minerals to protect him/her from catching illnesses.
Choose to prepare and cook healthy meals for your kids like fiber-rich foods to control fats and blood sugar build-ups.
Don’t skip meals so that your kids won’t skip them too.
Make sure that your child is drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Remind or assist them with their hygiene, such as bathing, brushing their teeth, and using clean clothing.
Encourage your child to be active, and spend a few minutes exercising to stay fit and healthy.
Help them to avoid stress, by reminding them to be happy, and enjoy simple things that they have.
Check if your child is already experiencing too much playtime, tiredness can ruin the immune system. Encourage them to have enough rest and sleep.
Watch out for their emotional and mental well-being, too. Manage their expectations, or advise them not to expect too much. Holidays bring so much fun to many of us, and it sometimes brings high expectations like receiving gifts and getting what they want.
Get them vaccinated for a flu vaccine, and make sure that their routine vaccination is up to date. It increases their immunity to fight diseases.
Remind them to keep their hands clean, especially before eating any food.
It’s a good idea to have kids play in an area where there is high ventilation.
Make sure they are wearing masks, especially when in a crowd. And remind them to have social distancing, especially from someone with signs and symptoms of an illness, like a cough and cold.
Aside from the health and wellness of our children, let us teach them to spend the holiday season with greatness from above, and let’s all feel the importance of this celebration.
Are you making ways to nurture your child’s well-being? This post will help you recognize what are the important things that a child needs to be mentally healthy.
Most of us parents understand the benefits of healthy eating habits that we should teach or be able to implement in our children. Staying physically fit like teaching them of attaining physical health is a common thing that most of us are aware of. Like helping them to play their favorite sports, biking with them outside, allowing them to play on the playground, etc. But there’s a topic that we must deal with because it’s just as important as being physically healthy.
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There are already high rates of mental health issues among children and it’s a bit serious! But to know that more and more parents are already becoming aware of the importance of nurturing and supporting their child’s mental health is a good factor to lessen the chances of children suffering from mental issues.
Good mental health is something we have to look into as parents.
Mental health affects an individual’s way of thinking, feeling, and behaving and it can greatly influence daily activities such as academic performance and overall health. The most common mental problems that attack children are related to anxiety, ADHD, behavioral disorders, and depression.
We are not perfect parents and accepting this could mean we are aware of our flaws and we are aware that there is still room for improvement. The best thing is that we are trying to be better parents day by day.
Here are the ways to nurture our children’s mental well-being:
Show love and trust! The child follows their parents especially if they feel loved, protected, and understood. As parents, we are also careful with protecting our children from any failures or pains, but those are also helpful in learning to face life uncertainties. Allow the child to explore given that the child is safe, consider supporting them, and encourage them to stand up instead of fixing things for them easily. A good relationship between parents can protect children from mental health disorders. This can also give children a sense of security when they see that their parents have good companionship with one another.
Be honest and patient. To nurture mental health, we should be attentive to the child’s verbal and nonverbal cues as well. Do they need support and attention? Do they need to be understood? Children can sense if parents are interested in what they are saying. This is the reason why we should be able to be patient in listening to their queries or opinions and be able to give honest feedback.
Listen to them before giving your advice, comment, or suggestions. Encouraging them to do their kinds of stuff, creating a happy environment, and having healthy habits daily can make a big change in their mental health. Like acknowledging their efforts, sharing your feelings about a certain behavior, correcting unhealthy and unhelpful thinking, showing empathy, and building resiliency.
Validate their feelings and share yours. As parents, we can easily sense if our children or child is experiencing a bad mood! We can ask them what happened and allow them to vent their feelings. After listening, we should be able to have clarity with what they are going through and slowly share our opinion or some related stories to lift their mood.
Show healthy behaviors like promoting healthy eating habits, and having adequate rest and sleep as these can greatly help in maintaining a healthy mind and improved mood.
Connect them to positive thinkers. Allow them to have social interactions, especially with people who have a positive outlook on life. Their ideas and good attitudes can help in building your child mentally.
Set a family time. Days are passing too fast! And that means we’re not going any younger so as with our children. That’s why spending time with them is worthful to fill in memories that you as a family can look back on as time goes by. These bonding moments can build your children’s mental wellness because you are filling in space in them that they will never forget. And that’s -TIME-
Teach them about forgiveness. Forgiving someone who made a mistake to you can relieve stress and heartaches that bring negativities to your mind. That’s why teaching our children the importance of forgiveness is essential.
Be present, especially for important events. Involvement with our children’s life activities can greatly impact their academic performance. It raises their self-confidence and brings positivity to them. Your support as a parent is very important as they are going through their growth and mental development.
Be calm in responding when their emotions are elevated. Sometimes children suddenly change their mood and prefer not to go out or play with their friends. Don’t worry as they are finding ways to manage their feelings, how to solve problems, develop self-control and independence, and manage time.
View their behavior and personalities as a window to their feelings and needs. One example is when a child showed temper tantrums in the middle of a busy grocery store. The initial reaction of some parents would be to ask their child to stand up or stop doing the action because it’s uncomfortable in adults’ eyes. If this is the scenario we should show empathy instead of asking the child too many questions and telling the child to stop because it’s embarrassing. Be considerate of their feelings and see whether there are factors that contributed to their tantrums like maybe they are hungry, tired, or sleepy!
Recognize their positive choices. Parents must show good modeling and continuously instill healthy habits and behaviors so kids can face the challenges that come their way. To do this we have to build a close relationship with them, provide boundaries and structures whenever possible, encourage independence, and boost social interaction.
Set limits and respect each other’s boundaries. You and your child have different personalities, you have different perspectives on how to view things. And it’s imperative to show respect at all times to them so that they will also show it to you in return. But, always remember to set boundaries so that they won’t fall into the negative side.
Practice gratitude and teach them how to pray. Mental wellness comes with having gratitude for all things that we have in life.
Take every day as a happy journey with your children. Avoid too much pressure because children who are under constant pressure also experience constant anxiety. The countless stress that they feel places them at higher risk of depression, mood or behavioral problems, and other mental health conditions. The list above can greatly help parents to nurture their child’s mental well-being to raise a happy, stress-free childhood for them.
What is your superpower? Do you have one? You may ask, what are you talking about I’m a human!
We often overlooked it but yes we all have powers within us. It may not be like the heroes or heroines that we watch on TV, but there are things that we are capable of, and that fill the power within us. Sometimes we feel so powerless, that we can’t get things the way others do them. We can’t do things the way others easily make them. And these make us feel numerous emotions that can lead to the draining of energy, avoiding doing things, and losing patience.
What makes us powerless are the limiting beliefs that keep running into our heads.
That keeps controlling our life, and that makes us miss out on important details that we must know and do in life. We can do more, but we choose to limit ourselves because of our what-ifs.
What if I failed?
What if others won’t support me?
What if others will laugh at me?
What if it won’t work?
What if it’s not for me?
They are just what-ifs!
Imagine if you transform that what if into words and thoughts that could make you realize that there is something more important to think about instead of those negative ones? Then there is something waiting for you! That something can be a new source of information, experiences, and things to focus on.
Thinking of failure is just a waste of time, you better tell yourself that you can do it and whatever the outcome is, you will accept it. Failures are a part of life experiences and what makes this challenging journey of living are those challenges that we courageously faced.
There are times wherein we feel that we are being unsupported by the people we are connected with. Whatever the reason behind it, think of it as a challenge to stand on your own. You cannot force others to support you because they have their perception of how to view things. They have their struggles and things to do also in life. Tell yourself that being unsupported won’t ruin you from getting into your goals.
Other people might find your views in life, abilities, capabilities, or talents to be funny because of their uniqueness but, be sure not to be affected by them. You are not accountable for what they think or feel either. Your goals, decisions, and abilities aren’t for these people. So why bother at all? Countless people are waiting for it, some dreamers also dream about where you are right now or what you do. Continue the things which you believe can give you some growth, learning, and fulfillment day by day.
Things won’t work unless we do it. The reason why we don’t achieve the progress we want is that at the very start we already lose self-esteem. We already accepted our inabilities! When we say that we can’t do it, we don’t do the action. And there’s nothing to be done. But if you say that there are a lot of possibilities but you will do it whatever the outcome is, then you are taking an action.
Additionally, our thinking of what if it’s not for me is a negative prediction that most people are being trapped with. Predicting your fate this way can negatively impact your goals. Believing that it’s not for you will cause you not to take the necessary thing to do. What happens is that you continue to wander! And keep crawling in your comfort zone, which makes you unproductive.
Our beliefs in life serve as boundaries not to do unhealthy behaviors that can harm us. On the other hand, limiting beliefs holds us back each time we want to do something in life that could benefit us. Limiting beliefs that are negatively processed destroy our goals and aspirations in life. And it’s hurtful when you grow old that there are things that you should do when you were younger and still capable but chose not to do it.
Our limiting beliefs control our heads, it controls our actions, and it controls our life!
It may appear as an individual’s defense mechanism to protect themselves from possible failures, frustrations, and disappointments that they believed an action can bring to them when they do it. And it’s a bad thing if it came as an excuse or came out of fear.
How to overcome your limiting beliefs?
You have to Identify your limiting beliefs
Writing it down so that you become aware of it
Assess your limiting beliefs
Recognize if it’s negative or positive
If it’s a negative belief, challenge yourself to make it positive instead
Be aware of the damaging consequences of the limiting beliefs you are thinking
Make a new belief
Use positive self-affirmations
Take an action and never give up
Other examples of limiting beliefs that you might encounter:
Not being good enough
Too young to do things
Too old to do things
Don’t have ample time
Not being talented
Not smart enough to do it
Don’t have many experiences
Don’t have enough resources
Not great to do a certain thing
We are liable for our own decisions in life. And our way of thinking can greatly impact our future and fate. Don’t wait for the time because as they say NOW is the right time!
Everyone deserves great things on this Earth, isn’t it? But, why do we feel like we aren’t that blessed? Sometimes we feel like we are paralyzed and can’t get things done! We want to do something but it’s like we are so slow to get into it. As we move further, some forces drain our energy and capacity to do things. We are excited to achieve something but it feels like our productivity just doesn’t fit in. We want to focus but there are a lot of things that need our attention!
These are some of the questions and words just coming up into our minds when we feel like we are inefficient or ineffective in some areas of our life. But to think that there is a process that we have to go through to come up with all the ideas that will help us to get what we want? Then all will be going to be alright. This process of life serves as the framework that we can use to stand firm and be where we want in life soon.
Source of the images in this post: Photo library by Pexels.
The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving.
O.W Holmes
There might be moments wherein we feel like we are in the wrong place. But, it isn’t the wrong place! It’s the right place to think or assess yourself, where you should go? What you should do and how to use your experiences in life to choose the right way. Forget about the things that will only bring negativities into your life like comparison, impatience, and feeling stuck. Life is worth living if we enjoy every bit of it.
The life process is like riding a bicycle, to get where you want to go, you have to keep moving, you have to focus, you have to keep right and you have to move in the direction where you can reach your destination. One wrong move can make you fall, can give you pain and bruises that can make you feel afraid to do it once more or continue where you are about to go. Likewise, when you take the courage and go along with whatever the circumstances you are perceiving? Then you are giving yourself the chance to make it.
The life process is like baking a recipe that you found on the internet or just read in a recipe book. If you don’t follow the ingredients and directions that are indicated? The result will be different, it might cause you sadness because after all you just wasted the effort you just put in. But, if you followed the ingredients and directions, the result might be good. It can bring us happiness when we make things right and it gives us sorrow and pain when we don’t make things the way they should be.
Don’t be your enemy! Be the person you can love, trust and be proud of.
The following will help you to stick to the process:
Love yourself! This can help you face all the challenges that life wants you to deal with before achieving your goal. If you love yourself, you can better understand what you are going through, you learn to be patient and kind in dealing with every hardship that will go along your way.
Accept your situation. There are things that we can’t control. And accepting whatever situation we have can help us think about what to do instead of just making things worst.
Appreciate what you have. Having gratitude in our hearts can uplift our mood and be able to see the positive things that we don’t see if we indulge in continuously looking for the things that we don’t have.
Manifest the life that you want to push through. You have dreams in life that you want to achieve secretly! Why don’t you start now?
Assess your life, plan things that are related to your situation, do something for yourself and evaluate if it’s effective.
Whatever outcome life gave you always remember that there are good things above all of these. Good or bad outcomes can give learnings that we can use as we go along the process. We have to accept that there are things that we have to follow, there are things that need our patience and there are things that if done with focus and perseverance will not just bring joy but will increase our appetite for life.
The process of life isn’t that easy, there are things that we can’t make as easy as we want them to be. However, we need to stick to the process because it will be worth it after all.
Have you ever wished not to have negative thoughts at all? Are you tired of absorbing negativity around you? Well, this post will help you turn the negative mindset that you have now into a positive mindset that will be going to help you navigate your life in the right direction. Every one of us experiences negative thoughts from time to time, this is due to the numerous factors that are present around us.
Image source: Photo library provided by Pexels.
Now, let’s move into turning your negative thoughts into positive thoughts:
1. Instead of telling I can’t do this, tell yourself that you can do it!
Most of our failures in life are brought by our self-doubt. Telling that you can’t do a certain thing will most likely bring you nothing. Your perception and the way you view things for yourself can greatly impact how things will going to happen. Likewise, if you tell yourself that you can do it, you’ll likely achieve something, and your strong self-assurance will bring you to action.
2. Instead of telling yourself I don’t know, tell yourself I’ll find it.
While it’s true that we don’t know all the answers that life wants us to learn, we have all the will to find them for ourselves, how? By learning it, observing it, and doing it. You can learn by reading books, articles, and inspiring journals, you can use your observation skills to learn from other people, and you can find all the answers that running in your head if you give yourself a chance. A chance to explore the world with something worth living for.
3. Instead of telling yourself that it’s unfair and it’s too hard, tell yourself that it’s a challenge you have to conquer.
One thing that makes us stuck is that we treat problems as punishment, we see problems as unfair, and we feel that challenges are hardships that makes our life miserable. But if we treat problems as a way for us to grow and see problems as a challenge that we have to conquer then everything will come to its place. You aren’t just the person who is facing challenges, disappointments and misfortune so don’t be hard on yourself.
4. Instead of telling yourself that you’re worried and you might fail, tell yourself I’m curious about what will happen and I will try.
Our worries can affect our confidence, and low confidence drags our courage to take a step. A small step each day can build us one day at a time. No stepping back because it will just consume you little by little. Failures aren’t a reason to be fearful of everything, it might be painful but it’s a driving force that there is success above all of those circumstances. Just be willing to continue and enhance your abilities, learn from all the mistakes that brought some failures in your life, and strengthen yourself enough for the battle of life.
5. Instead of telling yourself that you’re not good at something, tell yourself that you can get better.
Always remember this, there’s nothing that you can’t learn if you are just willing to put an effort into it. Where do those successful people start? Where do those brilliant people start? They started from scratch, they started learning how to make it, and they started by believing that they can do it one day!
6. Instead of telling yourself that you’re not yet ready because you need to find out more, remind yourself that there’s no better time than now.
Procrastination is one of the distractions that can contribute to our unproductive life. Don’t be a victim of “I can do it later” because time won’t wait for you. We can’t take back time as much as all of us wanted. Laziness can make us stuck and it consumes the days that we should be doing something to improve ourselves.
7. Instead of telling yourself that you are too old of doing something, tell yourself it’s never too late.
Yes! Age isn’t a hindrance to achieving the dreams that you wanted in life. Take it as a strength because you’re mature enough to take on the goals that you wanted. The more you age the better your understanding of the complexity of life here on Earth. You are more courageous to take risks because you are already capable to value every detail of life.
Having a negative mindset can consume our hope and dreams if we don’t do ways to fix our thoughts and actions. The list above can help you turn those negative thoughts into positive thoughts and be able to have that mindset that will guide you to become a better version of yourself.
Can you imagine a world without communication? Probably the majority of us would say that it might be a sad life without it! Communication is already a part of our day-to-day life activities and without communication, our lives could be so dull and quite boring! It’s one way to make an environment alive and colorful. Also, it’s an essential component of socializing with people, giving and gaining information that we needed each day.
Communication is important because it helps in building relationships with other people.
It allows an individual to share life experiences, thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Additionally, it’s a way to make better decisions, and increase efficiency and productivity whether at work or in our personal lives.
Below are the 6 steps in the communication process:
Ideation – The first step begins when the sender decided to share a message with someone, be it with loved ones, relatives, friends, classmates, or workmates. The person senses that there is a need to communicate a piece of information or an idea and he/she wants to share it with somebody.
Encoding – it involves putting the meaning of something into symbolic forms. This may be in the form of speaking, writing, or nonverbal behavior.
Transmission of the message – this is how the message is transmitted. To have a clear transmission, the sender must overcome interference like garbled speech, long and complex sentences, distortion from recording devices, illegible handwriting, and noisy environment.
Receiving – the receiver’s sense of hearing and sight are activated as the transmitted message is received.
Decoding of the message by the receiver – this is the time wherein the receiver defines words and interprets his/her gestures during the transmission of speech.
Response or feedback – the sender wants to know that his/her message has been received and interpreted by the receiver.
Basic communication skills that we should know
We should ensure an understanding of the topic by assuming its value, clarifying what has been said, and confirming our understanding.
Assuming the value is the attitude wherein you project that the person is worth listening to. This opens the lines of communication because it helps you to understand what the sender feels and thinks at the moment. This increases the chance that the other person will also listen to you when it’s your turn to communicate.
Clarification is being used when you aren’t sure what the other person is saying or communicating about.
Confirmation is used when you think that there is already an understanding of what the other person said.
You should be able to enhance value. This is done by identifying the merits mentally, building ideas, balancing merits and concerns, and giving support.
Identify the merits mentally and you should ask if the idea can be improved without mentioning any concerns. Merit is an important idea that was addressed that gives a good intention to the topic.
Build ideas – if you believed that the other person doesn’t give a strong idea, you can build the communication by suggesting a few changes.
Balance merits and concerns if the sender needs to know what should be changed. Again specify the merits and any concerns, ask for reactions, and be able to check back.
Support by giving timely and specific feedback to promote cooperation. You can state positive aspects of the other person’s ideas and efforts to give value to his/her contribution. Remember that most people would love to hear any recognition for their accomplishments and efforts given.
In conclusion, effective communication is helpful in our day-to-day life be it at home, outside the house, or at work. Listening and offering appropriate feedback is essential to help people recognize that they are being heard and understood. It helps to resolve problems, clear viewpoints, and make a situation even better.
Topic reference: Nursing Management and Leadership Book.
Are you having trouble daily because of unknown reasons? Maybe you have attitudes that need to be changed. This post will help you manifest good attitudes to live by daily so that you could be able to reach your goals and focus on what is essential in life.
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Be kind even if others are not!
Kindness is an attitude that we need to offer to ourselves and others. Sometimes the way we treat other people is by the way they treat us. So, if that person is kind to you, then you have to show the same kindness that he gave you. On the other hand, if the person is rude then we also show them the rudeness that person gave us. Or we sometimes show it to other people who are weaker than us. But remember that the majority of the people who shows rudeness were just thrilled by the situations they are experiencing at the moment. It’s their response to what is happening inside their head and hearts. For example at work, your boss scolded you because of a little mistake that you made regarding your work. Not knowing that this boss also is experiencing something in life which made him/her irritated easily. Maybe the boss is having a family problem. Maybe the boss is pressured by someone else. Maybe the boss is experiencing a life crisis? Don’t follow the train of negativity. Wherein you experience something wrong and will hand it to someone to suffer. So, be kind even if others are not!
Be courageous when situations look fearful!
A courageous attitude will make wonder! Because our fearfulness to take action brings us to inaction. If we dare to do things then we are likely building ourselves personally. There is no growth if we are always fearful of the next step. Yes, stepping forward won’t assure success, we may fail at times and it’s not a comfortable experience to accept. But remember that those who already reached their spot to the positions or status in life that we believed as successful were once experienced what we are experiencing at the moment. They are unsure, but they tried, they failed but they tried again. Until they finally made it.
Our courage will take us to something great. There is something we must do, there is something we are meant to do and there is something for us to do. I always believed that we are meant to do something because we have a purpose on this planet Earth.
Be acceptable and lovable.
Accepting things is an attitude that we have to live by. We have to accept ourselves for who we are. We have to accept our loved ones for whom they are. We have to accept our weaknesses to know how to improve. Sometimes we respond negatively when things don’t go the way we want them. And this becomes the unconscious reason why our day feels so bad. When we don’t get what we want we feel as if life was so unfair and that we are so unlucky. But we should be aware that this negative perception will only add up in attracting negative vibes that will only worsen our day.
Be confident especially when someone wants to drag you down.
Self-confidence is an attitude that will take us to do what we can. Some of us just let things pass because we thought that it won’t make any sense if we do something to those people who want to drag us down. Indeed that’s a great way to avoid conflicts, but we can do something to let them know that what they do isn’t affecting our worth. Be confident! Showing self-confidence isn’t for others’ benefit, it’s for our well-being. It helps us to be more focused on what is essential.
Be humble if you have abundance in life. You won’t have it forever!
Being humble is an attitude that aligns us to show gratitude in whatever we do or have in life. If you want to stay on track with great values and principles in life, then this is something we need to commit to, being humble means maintaining humility and being able to understand that all the material things we have aren’t ours. We came to Earth with nothing, and we will leave the Earth without the material things we gained, but with the legacy, we built when we are on Earth. It’s something weird but it’s something real. We will leave this world and as well everything we have.
Be truthful even when situations want you to lie.
The attitude of being truthful or honest could help us to live without worries and hidden agendas. It is very tempting to tell a lie especially if the situation wanted us to. For instance when we face a confrontation and it seems that the other person and everyone around might get angry or sad when the truth will come out. So, the only way to make the situation better is to tell something that isn’t true because if you will say the truth it might cause further trouble or you might be scolded, but remember that any form of deceiving people will always be unacceptable. If we want to make things right, then we have to always tell the truth. Telling the truth makes us free and relieves any unnecessary feelings and thoughts that will ruin our day. It might be hurtful to accept the consequences of any negative actions we made, but at the end of the day, it will always be the best solution. So, be truthful even when situations want you to lie.
Be adaptable to change and commit to transforming yourself.
Being able to adapt to the changes that occur in our life is an attitude that will help us to avoid being left behind. You will never grow or develop personally and professionally if you always avoid changing old habits that make you unproductive. And we would not change if we don’t adapt to what the situation needs. For instance, we need to adapt to the digital world to make things easier or to make our tasks work great. This will improve our efficiency and will help us gain the confidence to perform other things that are worth our attention.
Are there times when you feel like you are mentally exhausted and feel like you have a low battery and appetite to continue the day, your goals, and dreams in life? Oh! You might be drained from unnecessary thoughts that could weaken your sensations. These can affect how you view life, and how you handle each day of your life.
The pressures of modern living often mean that people lose touch with their true selves and end up feeling unhealthy, unhappy and out of balance.
J. Angelo
One way to limit and stay away from this troubling feeling is to say never to things that could make your mental health suffer!
Take a look at some things which you should say never from now on to achieve mental health and improve your life…
Image source: Photo library provided by Pexels.
Never mind about people who don’t trust your capabilities. Sometimes we feel hopeless when we observed that some people don’t trust us in doing the things that we feel like we can do. If you have goals then go with them, you don’t have to ask for someone’s opinion if they only degrade you in some ways. The only person whom you can lean on at times when you feel like nobody even care is yourself. There’s no dream that is too big or impossible to achieve. You can do it in your little ways. Forget about the feeling that troubles your mind and makes you always step back from the crowd.
Never give people a reason to disrespect you. You have the right to be respected, whoever you are. You have the voice to say something, go say it! Sometimes people are disrespecting you because you choose to let it pass, you choose to ignore it and not to tell something. If you are allowing them to do it to you then there’s a possibility that it will happen again and again.
Never allow any person to define your worth and value negatively. You have your worth, no one in this world has no value. You can do numerous things, you can give meaning to your life and you can as well serve as a role model for others to take inspiration to. You don’t need to prove to someone else that you are worthy, you alone can do that for yourself. Claim that you too can do something out of this super fast-paced environment.
Never chase toxic and negative people. Sometimes negative emotions are ruining your life because you are connecting or chasing toxic people. Who are they? They are the negative thinkers, they are the great gossipers, they are the bullies, and they are the people who always feel happy each time they see others who are failing. And whom should you connect with? They are the people who have a positive mindset, the people who are happy seeing others’ success, those people who will lift you, those people who have positive vibes, and those people who want you to grow and develop.
Never allow people to choose what you should be doing in life. Sometimes because of continually listening to what others are saying about what you should do and what you should not do, you tend not to be comfortable with what you want, what you desire, and what direction you are going. It lowers your self-esteem which makes you indecisive in pursuing what you like.
Never take your loved ones for granted. Your loved ones are your cheerleaders! They are your comfort when you are in pain. They are your strengths when you feel weak and they are the people who would be there after a long and tiring day. Your loved ones are the people with whom you can share the most days of your lives, that’s why they should be the ones you should share enough attention with.
Never be afraid of failure. One thing that keeps us from stepping forward is our fear of failure. It comes from self-doubt and low self-confidence. Sometimes it comes from what if people will laugh at me when I fail? It comes from what if I can’t do it? And it comes from what if they don’t support me? One thing we should realize in life is that we are all unique. And that’s why there are times that you feel you are different from others. It’s not a thing that should make you step back, it should be something you should be proud of. Those people who don’t trust you are not the people for you. Don’t root from them.
Never stop believing in yourself. Sometimes we are bothered by why we don’t excel and we are bothered by why we can’t change the way we want things to be! It’s because we don’t believe in ourselves. If you believe that there must be something that you can do or you should do in this limited time on Earth, then do it!
Realizing the things that we should never do are the key to lightening up how we handle our daily life.
This post will help mommies to better understand what is mommy burnout, what’s going through them, the symptoms of mom burnout, and how to deal with it.
Mommy burnout is the feeling that makes a mom feel exhausted from the chronic stress of parenting or running the house on a daily basis.
Just like the burnout that employees went through with the high demands of work that they experience at their jobs. Moms also experience this scenario in their lives due to the daily activities that they also have to perform. Such as looking after their children, assisting the children in school activities, serving the whole family from morning to evening, doing household chores, organizing and managing the house, and so on. And what is left for them?
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Sometimes they even don’t have the time to do their endeavors in life. Sometimes people even think that they are just acting out. Misjudging them from what they feel and what they do at home. There are also times that they can no longer do some self-care activities due to the overwhelming tasks that they need to make.
Both working and stay-at-home moms are experiencing mom burnout symptoms from time to time. And this isn’t something that moms and family members have to ignore because it adds up and might lead to other problems if left unmanaged. Moms experiencing burnout often show disengagement, feeling inefficient or useless in raising their children, feeling ineffective, losing the confidence to socialize, they feel intimidated to perform their personal and professional duties and may act outside of their true personalities. Like being angry at small things and losing patience easily compared to normal days. And they sometimes think of spacing themselves among their children.
Mommies are great human beings and needs also your attention, love, and care.
General symptoms of mommy burnout that you should watch out for:
If there are numerous symptoms you already identified to yourself as a mom or to other moms you know, you should ask for help earlier to implement the needed intervention.
Being exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Being irritated, they easily loss temper.
They feel disconnected from the present situation.
They show guilt about their parenting style. They feel like they are inadequate.
They feel anxious, and preoccupied with approaching events.
Their attitude isn’t matching with the present situation.
They feel incapacitated in raising their children.
They indulge in fantasies like detaching themselves from reality.
Having an intense feeling of being not good enough.
Thoughts that their children deserve someone better.
Disconnection from spouse or inability to maintain a good relationship.
Unable to ask for help or support.
What to do with Mom Burnout:
Understanding your risk factors are important to help you to be aware of everything.
Avoid comparing yourself. Remember that other moms have their ups and downs as well. And it’s up to you how you will face each challenge.
Do journaling to better track your mood, and see whether you already need some time to replenish your mental health.
Offer yourself time alone. You need to spend some time alone each day to give yourself the love it deserves. The person who will love you without a doubt (you). Do a simple self-care activity that will boost your self-esteem.
Choose to be a mindful parent. It’s ok to make some mistakes, accept it as this will help you grow as a parent. No one is perfect and everyone passes through all the tough times of parenting.
Talk to someone who can relate to you. Talking to a mom that knows what you are going through can be a good help in understanding what you feel, this can give you comfort and relief from stress.
Do some physical activities. Moving around just like brisk walking can help to relieve your stress level and uplift your mood.
Have enough rest and sleep to recharge you.
Do things one at a time. Plan your day always, prioritize what should come first, and divide tasks from simpler to complex.
Engage in a group that can help you unleash your capabilities. Connecting with like-minded people can help you grow as a person.
Accept your imperfections as a parent. It’s ok if you can’t do it all. Be kind to yourself.
Grow spiritually and always make sure that your values are set as a good example and are aligned with what you want your children to follow.
Mom burnout is something that needs our intervention. If you believe that you have a lot of symptoms already, then you should take the necessary action to pass through it. You can do a lot of things to go on in life. Live simply, don’t stress out everything, and live one day at a time. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help if you feel like you need it the most.
Weekends are children’s favorite because it means leisure time with the family!
Going outside to eat, do some sightseeing. Eat meals, and of course, what they love above all is playing different types of games and having fun! It’s their way of life, to enjoy each moment with greatness in their hearts!
Some of us think that kids are the only appropriate people to do these things.
Because they are young and because we have already gone through these days. We sometimes think that it isn’t for us anymore because doing it will gonna make us look childish. And we hold on to being mature in how we view life. We often don’t realize that we can still enjoy these moments. And feel like a child as if every day is a fun day! And live like a child who doesn’t worry too much about life’s situations and challenges.
We often see them fearless to do something because they want to try what it feels like. We see them enjoy good food and stumble with joy whenever we bought something that they like so much. Their view of life is very simple but overflowing with priceless appreciation. We see their genuine laughs as if they don’t bother anything. They easily forget situations that once made them upset, move on and continue enjoying the moment. And they choose to live life as if they have unlimited time.
What if we imitate the way they view life?
As adults, we feel like we should make even faster in life. This is because of the fear that we are being left behind. Time runs so fast that we feel like we are being unproductive. Well, who would even love the life that isn’t moving? Who would even love a life that feels no growth. And who would even love a life where you felt like you are moving like a turtle on a lonely seaside?
Honestly, we want to improve ourselves, we want to be appreciated, we want to feel important, and we want to be useful.
And adult stage makes us feel like we should fear if we aren’t doing any progress because time is important to us now, and time cannot go back once gone. How many years would still be there? How many chances can we still get? And how many fun moments could we still share with our loved ones?
Rushing can push us towards our goals, but it could also mean that rushing can only alter what we should have to do. Things could be better if it is done with preparation. Don’t rush too much because time isn’t your enemy, make time as your friend who can prepare you to do the things that will equip you towards something that will serve your purpose. View life like a child who doesn’t afraid to fail and try again. View life like a child who would smile after an upsetting scenario. And view life like a child who dreams even the most impossible!
There are times that life is like a carousel, it can move you up and down, steady, slow and fast. But whatever life could bring, you should remind yourself not to be bothered by the challenges that you meet along the way. There are tough moments but remember that it always ends.
Sometimes, life is like a ball and if you aren’t willing to move it, it will just stay where it was. We are here on Earth to live each day, and we shouldn’t just let the day pass without living it because of our grudges, anxiety, fear, and hopelessness.
Our success is not measured by the material things that we bought. It’s not the awards that we achieved. It’s not the title that attaches to our name. But, it’s the happiness that glows within us. It’s the values that we have and the kindness we were able to impart to other people.
Viewing life like a child is not a childish thing to do. It’s something that will make us live the way we should.
Studying in a school environment has good benefits for our children. Interacting with other children of their age, learning how to follow rules and regulations, figuring out how to socialize with other people, and adjusting to different situations are just a few of the things that our children would learn outside our home premises. And that’s the reason why a lot of us parents would prefer a school set-up learning.
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But, to be able to fully help our children unleash their full potential we have to assist them in going to school and guide them in all their school activities. While this may sometimes make us overwhelmed due to other life activities that we have to do, just remember that we are making it for the future of our child or children.
The guidance and support that we were able to show and give to them daily mean so much to them. This could help them to be more confident in going to school because they have the ample support they needed.
Things to let them know:
Reminding them of the importance of going to school, meeting their classmates and teachers, and of course studying in a school environment.
Tell them the relevance of social connection to their well-being. Socializing with other people, most importantly to children of their age can help them to show what they are capable of, and it helps them to relate to different individual’s attitudes.
Inform them about the rules and regulations of their school. Before the school classes, institutions come up with the orientation phase. So, here they enumerate all the rules and regulations that their school is implementing.
Things to prepare for them:
The night before the school day, you should prepare their clothing or uniform, socks, shoes, hygiene essentials, and their school bag with books, notebooks, and other things needed for that day.
If you are the one who prepared their things in their bag, be sure to let them know where the specific things are located.
Inform them of their class schedule and important activities that they will be going to do or perform for that day.
Remind them to participate in their class discussion, respect everybody in their school and enjoy studying!
During the day:
Prepare a healthy breakfast for your child and let them eat before going to school. Eating breakfast can help to kickstart their day by providing the essential nutrients they needed to have a strong body and an alert mind.
Prepare healthy snacks that they can eat during their break time in school, and choose nutritious foods to energize and nourish their body.
Don’t forget their water. Drinking water will keep them hydrated throughout the day.
After their class:
Greet them with a happy face, and ask what happened in their class. Assessing their mood will help us figure out what the child had experienced in school.
Ask about how the child gets along with classmates, and how he performed in their class activities.
Check whether the child ate the snacks you prepared.
Check any assignments that they have for tomorrow’s class, and remind the child to make them ahead of time.
Allow your child to make their assignments so that they could build their confidence in solving different circumstances. We are only allowed to guide and assist them. And it won’t give any merits if we are the ones doing it for them.
Going to school must be a fulfilling activity that our children must experience and they can do it by providing them with their essential needs, ample support, and giving time to improve their skills.
Are you the person who isn’t comfortable with talking in front of people, even just in a small group?
Well, you are not alone! There are a lot of people out there who are going through this experience. It’s an uncomfortable feeling that can make our day a little awful. But, the good news is that you can do something about this! Being calm isn’t that easy especially when you are about to deliver a speech, report, research, final paper, lesson, etc. in front of people particularly if you aren’t used to it. The anxiety that a person feels is also caused by unrealistic expectations, inferiority, and unpreparedness.
Unrealistic expectations, such as expecting that your audience will be going to understand your lecture easily or they will agree with you every time you talk or say something will cause problems concerning the activity that you are about to do. Inferiority is a state wherein a person thinks that he/she is lower than those in front of him/her, this causes low self-esteem and will bring about the inability to deliver words effectively. Unpreparedness is a common cause of being uncomfortable speaking in front of a group. That’s why we have to be ready beforehand so that we can avoid possible circumstances that we don’t even want to happen.
Below are the steps to guide you to conquer this situation:
1. You have to assess your audience
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You can do this by knowing their educational background. Who is my audience? What is the appropriate topic that I can share with them? How will I deliver my topic? This will determine what content you can add up or deliver that will resonates with them.
Find out how knowledgeable they are about the lecture you are about to discuss. Your topic and the way you lecture it should be appropriate to your designated audience. Do I need to discuss this part of the topic further? Or will I jump up to the next?
Tell them the ways how the lecture will help them. Your audience wants to get something while spending their time listening to you. They might be those busy people who chose to listen and attend your presentation. So, don’t waste their time!
Give them reasons why it’s important to listen/pay attention to your lecture.
Give them incentives for attending your lecture, it could be giving away certificates of participation, snacks, or tokens.
Connect your topics to the real things that are happening around us to keep them interested. They will more likely to engage if they know that they can relate to your topic.
2. Think of something that can grab their attention.
To be a great speaker, you have to engage or connect with your audience at the very start. You can do this by introducing yourself first, giving gratitude for their presence, and communicating to them through eye level. You can ask a question, mention a familiar event that is happening around us, giving a meaningful quote that is relatable to the presentation and that can motivate them to listen.
Find unique ways of keeping your presentation alive. No one would like to listen to a dull presentation that will only make them feel sleepy and unconnected.
3. Important notes should be taken down.
Write the important things to remember and detail them by using a good research explanation.
Use bullet points or numbers to guide you while speaking.
Make an effort to make your audience remember you.
Don’t stare too long at your PowerPoint or visual aids, interact with your audience.
4. Use valuable resources.
Make sure that the materials you will be using are functioning well before the presentation to avoid further problems. And you can also prepare a backup if necessary.
5. Use a desirable structure.
Write, plan and practice your lecture in a notebook or paper so that you can be able to see what is lacking.
There should be a beginning or introduction. Just like a written article, an introduction is a great way to give an overview of the content that you are about to discuss.
There should be a middle part or the body, it should be separated into small sections so that your audience can understand it easily. And to avoid information overload that could make it hard for them to grasp what you are saying. Keep it engaging, you can ask questions, and if they can’t answer back then answer them yourself. If they answer, you have to compliment them even though it’s not the perfect answer.
Moreover, there should be a final part that includes your conclusion of the overall lecture you’ve presented.
6. Remain calm in every stage of your presentation.
Be calm and control your anxiety, because your body language will greatly affect your speaking.
Be confident all the way and smile to relax your facial muscles.
Speaking in front of other people is a challenge, especially for those who have a shy type or an introverted personality. But it’s also a good challenge to do it and be able to cope with it. Hopefully, the above reminders and tips could help you go further.
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