Cheering Yourself On and Up - Seven Top Tips on Staying Joyful While Parenting Children
By Elyse Jacobs
On the long road of parenting children, beware the advice of the 3-Ds: Doubt, Disappointment and Discouragement.
TIP #1: Awareness: Clues to becoming aware of their often unsuspected presence:
1. Parenting children with consciousness and choice is important to you. You've reflected on your progress and are satisfied, even enthusiastic. Then from out of nowhere comes a dampening of your spirits. Could be the voice of Doubt whispering in your ear.
2. You are comparing yourself to another parent who always seems to have it together. You find yourself lacking, overwhelmed, and ineffective. Discouragement has found your inner ear.
3. You thought parenting children would bring you ongoing satisfaction and joy. Lately, you've become irritable, confused, or..Yes, disappointment is rearing it's head inside yours.
Becoming aware of their presence on your chosen path is the first tip to stopping their influence.
Tip #2: Invite Doubt, Disappointment or Discouragement to sit down with you.
Find a quiet place and time to 'sit down' with these inner voices of old patterns. This may be your first challenge. Give this time to yourself. Even 15 minutes will be helpful. Gaining knowledge in understanding yourself and the ways you might be beating yourself up needlessly, will be very useful to you.
Tip #3Listening to the voices of Doubt, Discouragement and Disappointment
Sounds counterproductive doesn't it, to be encouraged to listen to the inner voices that are dampening your spirits? The key here is set a brief time to listen. Actively listen to hear: the words, the tone, the concerns and worries of these old voices. Do they sound familiar?
Tip #4 Talking back
You have listened to your inner voices, the 3-Ds of self criticism. My hope is that you realize that everything you think is not true! These old voices, may have been here to protect you as a child. But, as a parent of a child/ren, they are no longer helpful.
TALK BACK. You want to tell yourself, for they are your thoughts no matter where they came from, how capable you are at parenting children. Feeling a little better?
Tip #5 Cheering yourself on and up!
Choose to cheer yourself on and up. It is a choice. Remember the positive examples of your effective parenting that you just used when talking back to the 3-Ds. Elaborate on those examples. Make a list. Write them in a journal. Use index cards. Call up a friend. Talk with your partner. How are you feeling now? Even better? Keep cheering yourself on and up! This is the voice of your Inner Cheerleader.
Tip #6 Anchoring positive feedback
You will want the voice of your Inner Cheerleader to be accessible to you. Have a record of your successes on the path of parenting children available. When you're aware of the voice of the 3-Ds take them out and reread. Remind yourself.
If you enjoy some form of creative expression, utilize it. You might make graphic or sculptural expression of the many traits and actions that make you a wonderful parent.
Write a poem. A client of mine discovered, in sitting down with the 3-Ds, who her inner critic was. This is what she wrote:
"I paint myself into my mother's dark rose room.
Cornered, I wait for her words to dry.
I tag my own: the world is safe, Mom. It's OK to play outside."
Tip #7 Heed your own counsel
The 3-Ds, and other voices of our past, may not disappear as quickly as we'd like them to. Keep repeating Tips 1-6 anytime you need to. Or push the mute button in your mind by heeding your own counsel.
You have chosen the path of parenting children. Walk it with as much joy and delight as you can allow yourself.
Tools of Peace is here to help you fall back in love with parenting children These amazing and delightful little humans are often the source of our greatest frustration as they learn to navigate their worlds. Tools of Peace offers fun and easy tips on building delightful relationships with our young children. We have suggestions for creating quality time every time.
Elyse Jacobs with a background in education, art and art therapy developed the Peaceful Puppet Program 24 years ago in a San Francisco preschool. She continues to find delight in working with young children and helps parents do the same.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elyse_Jacobs
TIP #1: Awareness: Clues to becoming aware of their often unsuspected presence:
1. Parenting children with consciousness and choice is important to you. You've reflected on your progress and are satisfied, even enthusiastic. Then from out of nowhere comes a dampening of your spirits. Could be the voice of Doubt whispering in your ear.
2. You are comparing yourself to another parent who always seems to have it together. You find yourself lacking, overwhelmed, and ineffective. Discouragement has found your inner ear.
3. You thought parenting children would bring you ongoing satisfaction and joy. Lately, you've become irritable, confused, or..Yes, disappointment is rearing it's head inside yours.
Becoming aware of their presence on your chosen path is the first tip to stopping their influence.
Tip #2: Invite Doubt, Disappointment or Discouragement to sit down with you.
Find a quiet place and time to 'sit down' with these inner voices of old patterns. This may be your first challenge. Give this time to yourself. Even 15 minutes will be helpful. Gaining knowledge in understanding yourself and the ways you might be beating yourself up needlessly, will be very useful to you.
Tip #3Listening to the voices of Doubt, Discouragement and Disappointment
Sounds counterproductive doesn't it, to be encouraged to listen to the inner voices that are dampening your spirits? The key here is set a brief time to listen. Actively listen to hear: the words, the tone, the concerns and worries of these old voices. Do they sound familiar?
Tip #4 Talking back
You have listened to your inner voices, the 3-Ds of self criticism. My hope is that you realize that everything you think is not true! These old voices, may have been here to protect you as a child. But, as a parent of a child/ren, they are no longer helpful.
TALK BACK. You want to tell yourself, for they are your thoughts no matter where they came from, how capable you are at parenting children. Feeling a little better?
Tip #5 Cheering yourself on and up!
Choose to cheer yourself on and up. It is a choice. Remember the positive examples of your effective parenting that you just used when talking back to the 3-Ds. Elaborate on those examples. Make a list. Write them in a journal. Use index cards. Call up a friend. Talk with your partner. How are you feeling now? Even better? Keep cheering yourself on and up! This is the voice of your Inner Cheerleader.
Tip #6 Anchoring positive feedback
You will want the voice of your Inner Cheerleader to be accessible to you. Have a record of your successes on the path of parenting children available. When you're aware of the voice of the 3-Ds take them out and reread. Remind yourself.
If you enjoy some form of creative expression, utilize it. You might make graphic or sculptural expression of the many traits and actions that make you a wonderful parent.
Write a poem. A client of mine discovered, in sitting down with the 3-Ds, who her inner critic was. This is what she wrote:
"I paint myself into my mother's dark rose room.
Cornered, I wait for her words to dry.
I tag my own: the world is safe, Mom. It's OK to play outside."
Tip #7 Heed your own counsel
The 3-Ds, and other voices of our past, may not disappear as quickly as we'd like them to. Keep repeating Tips 1-6 anytime you need to. Or push the mute button in your mind by heeding your own counsel.
You have chosen the path of parenting children. Walk it with as much joy and delight as you can allow yourself.
Tools of Peace is here to help you fall back in love with parenting children These amazing and delightful little humans are often the source of our greatest frustration as they learn to navigate their worlds. Tools of Peace offers fun and easy tips on building delightful relationships with our young children. We have suggestions for creating quality time every time.
Elyse Jacobs with a background in education, art and art therapy developed the Peaceful Puppet Program 24 years ago in a San Francisco preschool. She continues to find delight in working with young children and helps parents do the same.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elyse_Jacobs
