Parenting mantras for the holidays

Christina Kozik:

Hello and welcome to Just Needs, a podcast where we talk about parenting children with disabilities. I’m your host, Christina Kozik, and I’m so glad you’re here. This podcast is a project of Exceptional Lives, a nonprofit organization that supports families like yours. You can learn more about Exceptional Lives at our website, www.exceptionallives.org.

Hey, friends, I wanted to pop into your feed this week with some encouragement. We are speeding towards the holidays and the end of the year, and as a parent, I always find this time of year stressful. There’s always some time of holiday party or cookie exchange or teacher gift that I forget about until the night before. Add that in with our weekly therapy appointments and other afterschool activities that we already have, and I just spend this time of year wrapped up in a little blanket of stress.

So I put together a holiday survival series to help you and your family get through this holiday season. I hope this helps you and please share it with your friends and family that may need a reminder that we’re all in this together.

Today, I want to share some parenting mantras with you to keep in your back pocket as you navigate the next few weeks. 

A mantra is something you say to yourself to help you ground yourself and reset. I usually find myself saying one when I’m overwhelmed and I’m trying to calm myself. These mantras are a way that I help self-regulate so I can help my son co-regulate.

Quick side note, I covered both self-regulation and co-regulation in past episodes, and I’ll add a link to those episodes in the show notes. Okay, back to mantras.

So when you find yourself frustrated, overwhelmed, or just tired, I suggest stepping away, taking a few breaths and repeating a mantra that best fits how you’re feeling. It may also help to write them on a sticky note and attach them to your mirror or save them on your phone as your lock screen so you have it when you need it.

Here are a couple of mantras that I’ve compiled and that I use.

• I will pause and take a breath before I respond when I’m upset.

 

• This is hard. I’m trying my best and I am doing great.

 

• I am loved. I am safe. I am calm.

 

• I do enough. I am enough.

 

• I will work to model the behavior I want my child to learn.

 

• I can only control myself.

 

• I will approach my child’s struggles with empathy and curiosity.

 

• I am my child’s safe space.

 

• I am not alone.

 

• I will ask for help when I need it, and I will need it.

 

On behalf of Exceptional Lives, I just want to say, “Parents, we see you. We’ve been there, or we are there and you truly are not alone.” 

Today take a breath and remind yourself you’ve got this and we’ve got you.

This podcast was compiled by the Exceptional Life’s Team and presented by me, Christina Kozik for Exceptional Lives. You can subscribe and follow the podcast at our website, www.exceptionallives.org/justneedspodcast. Our website also has blogs, guides, upcoming events, and a resource directory for Massachusetts and Louisiana. We’d love for you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Exceptional Lives. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by leaving a five star rating or review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you’re listening.