Welcome,
And thank you for coming and taking a few minutes to pause with me.
I'm Georgiana,
And I'm grateful for this opportunity to share some parenting mantras to help you get through those challenging moments.
Research shows that mantras,
Or positive affirmations,
Are effective at reducing stress and rumination,
Changing behavior,
And increasing coping skills and adaptive capacity.
The mantras I will share today were developed based on the science of child development and relationships.
They're intended to help you remind yourself of your capability and role as a parent,
And to help you internalize key insights about child behavior that will help you to better manage your responses to challenging behavior.
Listen to the following mantras and see if any of them speak to you.
You might feel a tingling or butterfly sensation in your belly when you hear one,
Or maybe have a slight reaction.
Or you might choose one that's easy for you to remember and practice daily.
Let's begin by getting into a comfortable position.
Gently close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath.
As you breathe in,
You may say out loud or to yourself,
In.
And as you breathe out,
Say out.
I cannot control other people,
But I can control my own behaviors.
I cannot control other people,
But I can control my own behaviors.
My child does well when they can.
I do well when I can.
My child does well when they can.
I do well when I can.
I am resilient.
I can do hard things.
I am resilient.
I can do hard things.
Behavior reflects an underlying need.
Behavior reflects an underlying need.
I will not always agree or like it,
And that's okay.
I accept my feelings and my child's feelings.
I accept my feelings and my child's feelings.
Now take a few moments and repeat to yourself or out loud the phrase that most people use.
Now take a few moments and repeat to yourself or out loud the phrase that most spoke to you,
Or was most memorable.
Repeat the phrase slowly,
Three times.
Affirmations are most effective when practiced often.
If you use them in calm moments,
As you begin to internalize the mantra and become more aware of your own emotions in a moment,
You can use them in moments when you feel the need to calm yourself down.
You may even choose to come back to this meditation and hear all of these affirmations,
Perhaps to start your day.
As you gently bring your attention back to your breath,
Slowly blink your eyes open.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your day,
And thank you for taking care of yourself so that you can take care of your family.
