Mind Management
An unmanaged mind is like a
toddler with a sharpie!
An unmanaged mind is like a toddler running around the house with a sharpie.
I have a lot of those.
With baby number one, I didn’t let sharpies near his sight, but now that he’s a bit older and responsible enough, he has access to my “sharpie bag” but that means that his younger sisters get ahold of them frequently also. And you know what that means!! eek!
When we moved, we had to repaint the whole condo from the apple sauce splatters and the permanent marker scribbles all over the walls!
What does this have to do with our minds? Well, our brains are super powerful and can be used for great good but an unmanaged mind can cause as much chaos and havoc as these cuties with permanent markers!
How do you manage your mind exactly? What does that even mean? Well, you have hundreds and thousands of thoughts in a day. Some of these thoughts are great and we want to keep them, but some not so much. If your brain offers up to you that you are a bad mom and you are screwing up your kids, how do you feel? how do you interact with your kids when that is the sharpie scribble in your head?! It’s no bueno. So instead of believing every random thought, we question some of them and “talk back” as it were, to our own brains in the same way we handle the runaway toddler with the sharpie.
It looks like this:
lower brain “you are a terrible mom”
higher brain “yep. maybe i am. that’s ok. i’m also an awesome mom. I just did something that’s not my best mothering but i’m human and imperfect and trying my best and this gig is the real deal but i’m up for it. I’ve got this.”
You’ve essentially taken the marker out of her hand. We gently and calmly and kindly remove the sharpie before it gets all over the furniture. We don’t have to believe the stories we’ve been telling ourselves. We can think new thoughts, forge new neuropathway superhighways in our brains and believe new more useful stories. For instance, a story like: all kids get screwed up by their moms and that’s part of the plan. God sent us to this fallen earth as imperfect humans who make more imperfect humans and pass on the crap that our imperfect human parents passed down to us. It’s all good. It’s all for our learning, growth, and progression.
When I believe that story, it alleviates most of the stress of parenting and all I’m left with is these adorable kiddos to hang out with and do the best I can to teach them how to best navigate this life. I feel peace!! And from peace I show up as the kind of mom I want to be.
If this resonates but you’re still not sure if you can manage the chaos in your head or in your house, click here to schedule a free consultation where we can talk about your specific challenges and we’ll decide if you’re a good fit for my eight week coaching package where we put this into practical application. I will help you get from where you are to where you want to be as a mom in just two months! It is awesome!! Having a managed mind is as awesome as having a clean sharpie-free house!
