March 17, 2023
top trending topics
📝 Teenagers feel…a lot. Help them channel their emotions with these journal prompts.
👵👴 Grandparents are great… Until they overstep. How should you handle it?
😞💗 If motherhood isn’t as dreamy as you expected– You’re not alone.
🦄 The terrible twos can actually be quite a magical time, you can embrace it.
🤯 If your kids have been driving you a bit crazy, here’s how you can keep your sanity.
tips & tricks for growth
you can protect your family’s mental health
For starters, it’s important to continually remind ourselves that when we’re going through something that’s very unusual, we remain in a heightened state of anxiety and stress that impacts our mental and physical health.
📆 One thing that can help you regain your footing is to establish routines, rituals, and structure. In times of high anxiety and stress, the consistency of routines and structure are soothing to everyone.
💛 Make your home a peaceful place—a refuge from all the craziness going on in the world. Spend some time thinking about things you can do to create calm. Play calming music, light a lavender candle and let the sunlight in. Encourage your children to find a comfy spot where they can read or play with their toys.
✨ Be self-aware. Your children are like sponges. Whether you notice it or not, they’re watching your every move, your facial expressions and even listening to your conversations that don’t include them. They’re quick to pick up and take on your stress and anxiety. Have adult conversations out of the hearing range of your children. Be proactive in dealing with your emotions.
When parents model and lead out using these strategies, it teaches children how to navigate through hard times in healthy ways. It shows you believe they have what it takes to keep going even when things get really challenging. This builds self-confidence and helps them learn how to think and be creative in the midst of change.
i’m gonna have to stop you there…
Picture this: You’re having an EXHAUSTING conversation with extended family. There seems to be no easy or natural escape route, but you’ve got to get away for your own sanity. You know that stopping the conversation can hurt the relationship. What do you do?
You may want to stop the conversation for several reasons:
- The topic is too controversial, and it’s not worth potentially fracturing the relationship. (Religion, politics, social justice, morality, parenting, etc.)
- It’s gotten too personal. (Unresolved issues, things you don’t want to share, topics you disagree on regarding how you live your life, and so on.)
- It’s simply time to move on. You have other commitments or people to talk to.
- The conversation feels like gossip.
- Your history with this person leads you to believe that this convo won’t end well.
- You don’t feel equipped to talk about the topic.
I’m sure you can come up with all kinds of reasons you’d want or need to stop a conversation… But how do you actually stop it??
let’s get REALatable
It’s time to take things a step further & get a little intimate with a Q&A. What do you say?😉 Learn a little bit about the faces behind all of this relationship gold. This week we’re chatting with Gena Ellis, wife to her college sweetheart, #Boymama to 3 young men, and a Relationship Coach here at First Things First! Let’s get REALatable💛 & learn a little bit about her:
Q: Favorite ice cream topping?
A:
Q: What did you want to be when you grew up?
A:
Q: Best way to relax?
A:
share the love
Know a friend who would love reading all the relationship goodness we’ve packed in here? Go ahead and share it with them!
Was This Helpful?
Did this blog give you the information you were looking for and give you tools to help improve your relationships?
