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Worry is a chain of negative thoughts about bad things that might happen in the future (Brene Brown, "Altas of the Heart"). It is a coping strategy we tend to employ when we feel anxious because we think (perhaps subconsciously) that it is helpful. Worrying feels...
Be positive! Look on the bright side! Good vibes only! Do you feel like you should be happy all the time? Happiness is celebrated and heavily promoted in our society (just think about all the happy people you see in marketing campaigns). We adopt it as a goal to work...
Our brains are constantly on the lookout for things that might harm us and in doing so, they create a lot of difficult thoughts. These thoughts might relate to pain from the past, challenges we are facing in the present or fear about the future. Positive thinking is...
Overfunctioning can be simpler to understand than to spot in our lives because people who overfunction tend to be seen as very responsible, reliable, helpful, competent and caring. They do all the things for all the people. Society celebrates people who are constantly...
Recently, a beautiful woman in the More to Mum community asked me if you could ever give yourself too much self-compassion. She wondered if there was a point where you just had to take accountability for what you’ve done and do better. As I listened to her describe...
We all experience frustration in motherhood. As explained by Brené Brown in her book "Atlas of the Heart", frustration occurs when something that feels out of our control is preventing us from achieving our desired outcome. We don't think that we can fix the...
Have you felt resentment in motherhood? Resentment is one of those emotions that we wish we didn’t have, yet it can feel so justified. It’s not an enjoyable way to feel and most of us don’t want to be perceived as resentful or bitter. Women often feel guilty for...
As mothers in modern society, our lives are consumed by the needs of others. Time to ourselves can feel impossible and if we do get the chance to have a break, it often comes with a lot of guilt. Lovely, you are not here merely to take care of others. Taking care of...
Are you feeling tired all the time, or do you wish you had more energy to get through the day? The demands of motherhood are constant and taking a break is difficult for many women practically, emotionally, and mentally. Especially in the early years, or in other...
Recently I was listening to a podcast, and I had to replay the first 10 minutes four times because my mind kept wandering! Do you find it hard to stay present in the moment? You're not the only one. I often get asked for advice about how to be more present in our...
This is part 2 of a two-part blog series about making meditation easy and manageable for both mums and kids. In this series, I'm talking to Alysse Di Natale, founder of Young Yoga and the Meditate with Friends app. Alysse is passionate about supporting the wellbeing...
Have you ever wanted to try meditation but felt that it was too hard, time-consuming, spiritual or that you just weren't any good at emptying your mind? I hear these concerns from lots of women who have heard about the benefits of meditation but aren't sure if can...
Nearly every mother I speak to wants strategies to stay calm and deal with stressful situations more effectively. We are mothering and living in stressful, uncertain times with incredible amounts of pressure placed on us to live up to unrealistic expectations. Our...
There is no shortage of things we can worry about in motherhood, regardless of what stage we are in. Worry is thinking about all the potentially negative (from your perspective) possibilities that could eventuate in the future. The what-ifs. Sometimes these...
Society tells us that perfectionism is a good thing. Perhaps you too have been praised and rewarded for your high capacity, high standards, and meticulous work. You may have also believed that perfectionism was the same as trying your best and showing your commitment...
How would you define a strong woman? Perhaps you might use some of the following descriptions: Physically strong Confident Hard to persuade Unflappable Resilient Determined Independent In control Focused on her goals. I used to think that being a strong woman...
Do you know what your personal values are? Defining and aligning to our personal values can help us feel motivated, inspired and live a rich and meaningful life. When we know what’s most important to us we can look for ways to have more of this in our lives. In...
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) are stories that we tell ourselves that aren’t necessarily true. They are distortions or negative interpretations of ourselves, what is happening around us, the past or the future, based on our beliefs and assumptions. ANTs happen...
Have there been times when you have you kept quiet when you had something to say? For example, when... Someone crossed your boundary or hurt you? Another child mistreated your child? You didn’t want to do something you were being asked to do? You didn’t agree? Someone...
Sadness, burnout, fear, guilt, anxiety, loneliness, frustration, anger, resentment, shame, embarrassment, disgust. Mothers feel them. But often we don’t like to talk about them. What will people think? If perfect mum is always composed, in control, calm, happy, on top...
When my son was 4, he was playing in the playground after kindergarten and decided to give the monkey bars a try. He always watched the other children swinging across but still liked me to hold him as he moved his arms from bar to bar. This time he wanted to do it...
I know that we’re expected to be loving motherhood, sailing through each day with a smile on our faces. That’s the myth of the perfect mum. In reality, we all have bad days and we don’t have to pretend that everything is wonderful when it’s not. Allowing ourselves to...
Alone time is an important part of caring for our wellbeing. Having time to just be who we are, to rest and relax, helps us feel happier, healthier, more energised and refreshed. Without it, in the long run, we can start to see negative impacts to our mental,...
Do you ever wish you were a calmer parent? A more connected parent? I think we all have moments where we miss the bar we set for ourselves in these areas. Parenting challenges us in ways we've never been challenged before and with every new child, and every new...
Are you so busy making sure that everyone else is looked after that you forget to look after yourself? Do you often forget to eat, or eat meals that are quick and easy, but lack nutrition? As mums, we tend to put everyone else’s needs and nutrition in front of our...
This is part 2 in a 2 part blog post series on how to be more present in your life. You can find part 1 here. In the first part of this blog series on how to be more present in your life, I shared this statistic with you: People are thinking about something...
This is part 1 of a 2 part series on how to be more present in your life. You can find part 2 here. Where are you right now? Physically, you might be at home, in the car, at work, at the park. Sitting, standing, lying down, rocking a little one, walking. And...
The relationship that the majority of the population has with their anxiety is definitely not a very good one. It is often toxic, fractured and built up on a foundation of fear. I can already hear you ask, “Why would I have a good relationship with my anxiety??” or...
This is part 2 of my 2-part blog post series on staying calm in the moment. Part 1 contains the first 16 strategies. You can find it here. I certainly needed my strategies for staying calm this week. How about you? Every mum experiences times when she doesn't feel...
This is part 1 of my two-part blog post series on staying calm in the moment. You can find part 2 here. When I asked the mums in the More to Mum community to describe how they would like to feel in motherhood, calm was one of the top responses. Before we have...