Parent Coaching for Empowered Parents                                                         By Kassandra Brown

Some days life feels like one big rush. The ‘To Do’ list is a mile long, the kids are calling “Mommy!”, you’re late for work and what the heck is for dinner anyway? Maybe your version of rushed and overwhelmed is different than mine, but I’m guessing you can resonate with the feelings that come up when there just seems to be too much to do and not enough time.

Perhaps you could clone yourself? Or duct tape the kids and put them in the closet? Or hire a nanny, like Maria in The Sound of Music? Or maybe you can learn a few simple tricks here to help you find your ease in the midst of your life, just as it is? Perhaps instead of changing the circumstances, you can create your own reality? How? Here are a few ideas.

1. Take time for yourself every day. As little as 10 minutes, just for you to be with yourself, can make a huge difference. What can you do with that time? Anything that helps you be in your own skin, your own mind, and your own intuition counts. Journaling, yoga, and meditation are my favorites. Other clients have chosen going for a walk, sitting by the ocean, or drawing.
2. Notice what’s going on. Slowing down your own inner commentary, rush, and critic is pretty critical to making real change. We have to notice the stories we’re telling ourselves, the stories that are driving our life choices, before we can make different choices.
3. Set goals for yourself. Go for the smallest increment of change you can do to see transformation in your world. Go for something reasonable. And then cut it in half.
4. Track Changes. If you want to stop yelling at your children, set the goal of noticing when you yell and writing down what you were doing, what the kids were doing, what you were thinking just before you yelled, and what you wanted to have happen. Try it. Tracking helps.
5. Entertain the idea of Radical Self Responsibility. Everything (everything!) that is happening in your life right now has been created by you. Yet most of it seems to be happening to you and to be out of your control, right? When you entertain the idea of radical self responsibility, then the possibility arises to become conscious of what you’re creating, to see the gifts in what you’ve already created, and to choose to live the life you truly want.

You are the author of your own world. Raising children is incredibly challenging because you have responsibility for, and believe you should have control over, other human beings. No one can truly control anyone except themselves. This can set you up for incredible frustration. For me, practicing the list above has brought ease and spaciousness into my life. For the next week, I invite you to try at least two of the above practices. Let me know how it goes, any questions, or desires for further support.

Kassandra Brown is the owner of  Parent Coaching  and is dedicated to helping parents realize and harness the incredibly creative powers within them. This allows each family to craft unique solutions to their unique challenges. Visit Kassandra’s website for a free consultation http://ParentCoaching.org