This is the time of year when all the chatter among parents start about “surviving summer.” You strike up a conversation in the grocery line, and it inevitably leads to the fellow parent stating, “Yeah, I don’t know how I’m going to survive these next few months.”
Or, you’re out with friends enjoying a well-deserved time-off, but the conversation once again turns to how you all feel your kids will eat you alive in the coming weeks.
You might even lay in bed and lament to your spouse about how you haven’t had a chance to sit down all day because it is SOOO hard having them all home.
I will be the first to admit that I have fallen into this trap multiple times.
But, let’s first get clear that it is not having kids’ home that is making it hard; it’s our thoughts around the kids being home that makes us miserable.
It seems like semantics, but the key lies in how our bodies respond.
Let’s do a little experiment. Close your eyes. How do you feel when you think, “I don’t know how I’m going to survive?” Does something in your body tighten or feel heavy? Do you feel your teeth clench or your fists tighten? Maybe you have a pit in your stomach or pressure in your forehead?
Physical manifestations always occur based on what we’re feeling, and our feelings are caused by our thoughts, so when you think, “I don’t know how I’m going to survive,” your body responds accordingly.
Let’s try another thought. Close your eyes again, and notice the difference in your body when you think, “I am a survivor.” Does your body feel different? Do you feel lighter or more open? Perhaps your body feels more grounded?
This is the perfect example of how our thoughts dictate how we’re feeling.
You get to choose how you want to think about summer, and school being out. As for me, I’m choosing to think, “I am a survivor.”
Curious what’s holding you back from enjoying your summer? Click here to sign up for a consult call with me so we can dive into your thoughts so you can have the best summer with your kids yet.
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