Hello, Mom! You've probably arrived here because you are stressed to the max and are looking for a solution.

If that's the case, let me welcome you with a big hug and introduce you to the C.A.R.E. system for Mom-Defrazzling!

Before we start, please make sure your children will be safe without you for a few minutes.

Once they're safe, let's work through these four steps together.

1. "C" stands for Calm.

Feelings of stress will cause our brains to go into the “Fight or Flight” mode, hindering your ability to access the problem-solving or creative thinking parts of the brain. You have to first choose to calm down, so let's do that together:

• Let's just take a deep breath and breathe in slowly for the count of 5 . . . . . . hold for 5 . . . . . . and breathe out for the count of 10 . . . . . .
• Let's just take a deep breath and breathe in slowly for the count of 5 . . . . . . hold for 5 . . . . . . and breathe out for the count of 10 . . . . . .

Ok, that should have you feeling a bit calmer now, right? If you're still all wired up and anxious, keep repeating that until you feel calm.

Ok, once you start to feel the calm kicking in move to the

2. "A" stands for Acknowledge.

Create a positive frame of mind by acknowledging even tiny, seemingly insignificant things that are going well:

• perhaps you got your kids out the door on time for school
• perhaps you made your bed
• perhaps you have some great friends
• perhaps you simply managed to get dressed!

No matter how small or insignificant, write down what you've done well. If it's early in the morning and nothing's worked so far, then move to yesterday - or even the day before - to find at least 3-4 things you've managed to accomplish so far. Acknowledge that to yourself. If you really can't think of anything you've done well, call a friend or your husband and ask them to help you.

3. "R" stands for Re-assess.

Now that you're in a positive, relaxed frame of mind, re-assess the situation and think of ways to improve it or remove it. If you are clueless about how to make things better, check out the links on the left hand side for some ideas. Most of them are free. All of them are tried and tested. There will probably be something there to suit your needs.

4. "E" stands for Expect Imperfection.

Instead of demanding daily perfection from yourself, cut yourself some slack. If you expect that things will always be a bit bumpy - and they will - you will be able to face those situations with good humour and good problem-solving skills, making your life - and the lives of your family members - much less stressful!

And there you have it - the C.A.R.E. system for Mom-Defrazzling! Try it the next time you want to pack your bags and move to Timbuktu. You might find yourself wanting to hang around a little bit longer!

If this was helpful to you, and you'd like more tips and ideas for living your life with less stress, sign up for my "Tip and Giggle" which comes every four days - one time it's a tip for making your life easier, and one time it's a giggle to keep you laughing. You can sign up risk free by filling in the box below:

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