Posts Tagged ‘Do It YourSelf-care’

In Part One, we looked at the hormonal-neurotransmitter feedback loops in a woman’s body and how they relate to mood during the menstrual cycle.  

(the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Cortex  Loop and the Ovarian-Hypothalamus-Pituitary Loop)

In Part Two, we looked at a woman’s hidden hormonal shifts during pregnancy and birth. Today, we look at the hidden postpartum hormonal shifts.

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#lifelist Birdwatching!

I’m a lifelong birdwatcher. I started when I was 12, on Long Island where I grew up. There was a magical park that was about a forty-five minute walk for me. Grant Park. I used to go next door into the middle school field, walk through the back field, crawl down the “rabbit hole” under the chain link fence there, into the apartment complex parking lot, through the parking lot and walk on over to the park. Can you imagine a 12 year old girl taking this walk herself nowadays? I loved the freedom! I felt like Tammy Sawyer!

I was fascinated by this other world, the misty lake, the magical marshy areas around it and the mysterious wood, populated by fairies and other magical creatures: salamanders, snakes and the birds!

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Be kind to yourself today.
Affirmations by themselves are not all that need to do to enact change within yourself, but are a wonderful enhancement to positive self-development.
Positive parenting and feeling well and confident take conscious, daily effort. The conscious processing of perceived hurts and events helps clear out old habits, making way for new thoughts and ways of being.

Pursuing the development of the self and being gently and consciously present is an organic, life-long path. There are numerous proactive ways to develop a deep knowing and confidence about yourself.
Self-awareness and self-knowledge is enhanced and developed through counseling and mindbody methods such as yoga, meditation, energy work, expressive art. Putting in the effort to identifying a satisfying career and working steadily at all aspects of the work (people skills, technical skills) is a a grand way to open and stretch the inner self. Developing the capacity for compassion and understanding for others is a lifelong organic process as well that is self-enhancing.
Affirmations are just one way to help reset your inner chatter with positive negative self-talk. . Affirmations are positive statements about the self and everyday life. If used daily and consistently, for at least a month, affirmation can build a positive mind-set, helping overcome any negative tapes you can reeling your head. Below are some positive affirmations to help you feel better about yourself, freeing you to take positive action.

I am a good mother.
I have a deep well of patience within.
Time is abundant; I have an abundance of time for myself and my family.
Love is abundant: I have an abundance of love for myself and my family
I co-create a beautiful family with the universal spirit.
I am relaxed and confident in my everyday life.
I understand and ask for what I need and want in a positive way.
My thoughts support and strengthen my positive parenting style.
I breathe deeply and respond with clarity.
My family is safe.
I am able to cope with grace.

#LifeWellLived

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Today’s moms have access to a large online network of social media and blogging friendships and support. But are the online relationships fulfilling and real?

 

I interviewed several women who use social media extensively, including Facebook, Twitter and who are bloggers, who say their online friendships are very real and often become IRL relationships; the women wind up meeting each other at different events across the country.

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Prenatal Yoga: A Mindbody Practice to Benefit Your Pregnancy

 

As a pregnant woman looking looking for a safe, mindbody, self-help way to improve your comfort levels and shorten your birthing time, check out prenatal yoga! Check out the results of this study!

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”Positive feeling systems must be built and maintained intentionally (as part of couples therapy or marriage therapy)…” Gottman and Gottman, 2009)

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”Therapeutic horticulture...provides positive distraction and attentional engagement…(which) mediates decline for anxiety and depressive symptoms…” Garcia et al, 2010)

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