I’ve been reading snippets from Respectful Parents Respectful Kids over the past year. I’m especially mindful of parenting these days, as parenting –especially during Covid– is HARD, we have an adorably-active toddler, and also, I’m very very pregnant (expecting baby girl any day now). Among other things, this workbook so kindly and firmly highlights the…
Tag: self-compassion
You CAN. You are capable
It was the Little Blue Engine’s attitude that got her up over the mountain to deliver all the dolls and toys to the good boys and girls on the other side of the mountain ( haha, can you tell we read Watty Piper’s The Little Engine that Could with our daughter a lot?!) In psychological…
How to calm yourself through breathing (guided exercise)
Did you know that literally paying attention to your breath… is calming to your central nervous system? Well, it is! Another fun fact— making your exhale longer than your inhale is even more calming. Perhaps you’re already in the practice of noticing your breath. Perhaps you never have. Or, perhaps you’re somewhere in between. Whatever…
How to Improve Brain Health
Neuroplasticity basically means that your brain is able to change (it is NOT static): it can grow and strengthen, build new connections, etc. The fact that I am writing this right now is an example of the amazing miracle of neuroplasticity: even when the traditional routes are damaged or innately weak (ie. such as from…
Beginner’s Guide to Mindfulness
Late last February (two weeks before the national shutdown), I went to a cluster of lectures facilitated by the famous Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis. I remember feeling exhilarated as I walked to this workshop, gleefully rejoicing that my 2-month-old was sleeping (on me), that I figured out how to use the baby carrier and felt good…
You are… not alone
Who else has felt– or is feeling– isolated? Or trapped? In this pandemic? In a job/ home/season of life? You are not alone. After the first 4 weeks of parenthood, I shared with others how isolated I had been feeling. Then, come to find out, it seems like many moms resonate with this feeling. If…
The Power of Buying a Farm! Or at least Getting Out and Imagining:)
An eerie layer of smoke has been hugging LA for awhile now. The other weekend was particularly tricky, difficult, and sad, for me at least. On a whim, my husband, baby, and I decided to jump in the car and drive to Ventura County…. to look at farms to buy! For fun. We had watched…
Set Limits
In a society that proclaims that people are (and should be) limitless, it can be really hard to believe the truth sometimes. It’s OKaY (and normal and expected!) …. when you feel or know that you are limited. when you feel or know that you can’t do everything. when you feel or know that you…
Integrate Racial Justice as part of Life Rhythm
My dear friend, Teesha, co-wrote a book with her friend, John, called Black & White: Disrupting Racism One Friendship at a Time. Teesha is a black woman and John is a white man. They are friends, both pastors– and met at the church they were working at in Atlanta, GA. The book that they wrote…
How to show yourself kindness
It’s okay that it might take longer for you to [ X]…. or it takes more effort to do [ Y]….. or that you do not excel at [ Z] …… You did not excel at these things before this worldwide pandemic. And, you’re reacting and responding in the best way you know how, given…