Far too often I hear mothers complain, feeling sad or frustrated that their people don't care or appreciate the value of the hard work they invest in caring for them. 

From her entry for May 8th in Joan Borysenko's treasured book Pocketful of Miracles:
"The fifteenth-century Christian mystic Julian of Norwich is known for her deep appreciation of God as mother. In the text of her divine visions, called Showings, she said 'This fair and lovely word 'mother' is so sweet and so kind in itself that it cannot truly be said of anyone or to anyone except of Him and to Him who is the true Mother of life and of all things. To the property of motherhood being nature, love, wisdom and knowledge and this is God.' "

We are on holy ground, doing holy work and it is an honor, yes?

I hope we can be in our days with gratitude for the gift of motherhood, embracing the value of our work...without resent or frustration that others may not see the enormity of what we carry. 

Treat yourself kindly today (and everyday); be reminded the "​property of motherhood being nature, love, wisdom and knowledge and this is God". May you know more and more the blessings you're gifted.

​

​Want to achieve your best life yet? Creating optimal vitality and energy starts with creating more positive changes in your physical and mental health. After all, your body and brain are what power all of those incredible endeavors, especially if you are a busy parent. So, make sure you are fueling them both with these simple health and wellness tips that can keep you strong, fit, and ready to take on the world around you.
 
Sign Yourself Up for a Team Sport
 
You may already know that participating in team sports can help boost kids’ self-esteem. What you may not realize, however, is that participating in a team sport can have major benefits for adults as well. When you play sports with a team, you are more likely to maintain a healthy weight, and you get those same self-esteem boosts. So, not only will you be getting a regular dose of health and vitality, but you will also be building positive social connections that can boost your overall health. No matter how introverted we may feel, human beings are wired for connection and depend on those connections to preserve brain and body functions that keep us healthy and strong. Before you sign up for a new sport, you may need to invest in some new sports gear, but really you will be investing in your health and wellness. Just be sure to read through reviews so you know you are spending your hard-earned money wisely and getting equipment that will offer the most benefit to you.
 
Research Your Healthcare Options
 
Signing up for a sport can improve your health, but you also need to make sure you are signed up for the right healthcare coverage. If you are an adult who is over the age of 65, or if you are nearing Medicare eligibility, that means you should take a closer look at the healthcare offerings that are available to you. Medicare plans and coverage change with each year, so you need to check often to see if you have coverage that fits your needs. For example, many Humana Medicare Advantage plans will provide you with additional benefits, like vision, dental, and fitness center benefits that can help you preserve all aspects of your health.
 
If you are not a senior or not eligible for Medicare, then you can still do your homework to determine what kind of insurance will be best for your needs. Take some time to really compare the levels of coverage offered by different plans and think about how those coverages, as well as deductibles, will impact your ability to access the essential health care you need.
 
Invest Your Time in More Self-Care
 
It can be easy to skip right over self-care, especially if you are a busy parent. However, mothers often benefit the most from self-care habits. You need to practice those daily rituals, whether it’s meal prepping for healthier eating or creating a calming routine to get better sleep. More self-care can even boost your immune system and protect you from serious illness caused by chronic stress. So, how can you fit more self-care in-between work meetings, playdates, and soccer practices? You can use a few smart self-care strategies to make taking care of yourself more of a priority. The most important of these steps is to recognize that your superpowers only extend so far. Mom or not, you are human at your core and need healthy habits to thrive. Plus, you set the example your kids will follow so make sure it’s a positive one. Make sure they know your worth, so they can grow to know their own as adults.
 
The most optimal version of you begins with the best habits for your health and well-being. By managing your mental health and taking control of your physical wellness, you are taking the crucial first-steps towards finding more purpose in your life. So, make more time to take care of yourself so you tackle all of the other challenges and experiences in your life.
 
Photo Credit: Unsplash
 

My new friend, Michelle Rusk, hosted a webinar series last month titled Rock Your Whole Health and I was privileged to be part of the team that supported mothers with resources.

Here’s what you’ll learn in my session:
-How to get back in touch with your intimate self
- Finding your picture of being your happiest and healthiest
- Why the biggest hurdle is self identification when you're taking the first step toward better health
- Emotional red flags to pay attention to
- How to live congruent to yourself and MUCH MORE!!!

I'm interested in your feedback. Please comment below about what you found helpful or thought provoking.
By clicking on the link below, you'll also see a coupon code for a free gift. 

Please participate with the change you wish to see in YOUR part of the world. 

https://rockyourwholehealth.com/lisa-engle/

Phew - what a year, yes? 

Moms spin so many plates and go (grow) in so many directions that at the end of the year, there is a "thinning" of sorts. Much like our cervix has to thin in childbirth, the pains that bring us to the end of a year, also leave us ripe for new Life to be born. 

This year was full of unexpected gains and losses for me (and many I've had the privilege to journey Life with). I suspect you too.

I wish for you to see and embrace the abundant gifts that remain and that you can envision 2019 being your happiest and healthiest YET. 

Be well,
​Lisa 

Intentional living takes practice. Life's distractions and overwhelming demands can quickly detour us to our programming, allowing us to drift from the intentional, thoughtful responses we desire to experience. Too often, when I speak with mothers, the regret for having "lost it" on their kids is heartbreaking. The frustration experienced with children's behaviors is often more accurately stemming from frustration with their own lack of self control when it comes to healthy behaviors and emotions. 

Having Grace for ourselves is a critical practice if we desire to extend it to others, especially our children, who know our "buttons" better than most. This season, notice your feelings...notice your face. Allow yourself a moment to take a deep breath, count your blessings, and smile. 

Remember, your children and your cells are listening. 
​
Your smile CHANGES the world around you and with any luck, brings a smile to someone else...and someone else...as the old saying goes, "smile and the world will smile with you." 

May your joy only increase as you learn to tune in and CHOOSE your thoughts. 

​

When my oldest began to challenge me in ways I didn't know how to cope with, I leveraged the experience I had in his birth. It was intense. It was HARD. I tore and resisted. I had no idea what to expect other than I'd be stretched beyond what my imagination could have prepared me for...and I was. 

Because my mother was a midwife, I knoew labor could be painful. I was raised watching birth videos while she was in the midwifery program at Emory and in fact, had watched her give birth to my little sister. Laboring with my 1st born, the nurses said "honey, don't you want something?" I thought they were offering me an ice tea or soda...drugs were simply not on my radar. I knew I had what I needed to "do this hard work"...and yet, it WAS HARD....so has been raising him...and releasing him.

I couldn't have known how far deep in the well I'd go to birth that boy nor that I'd need to dip that deep again and again and again. Parenting is STILL the most challenging and most beautiful, the most painful and most miraculous opportunity I've been faced with. Still, nearly 34 years later after experiencing that birth, I am learning about my strength and facing my fears. I still return to the knowing the depth in me required to participate well.

You're not alone...and deep in the well, you're not alone there either. You'll see the light of day, you can trust that...and you'll likely dip deep again if you're being honest and not taking the "something" that will keep you from really experiencing the depth of the challenges you're facing; you'll see God in the well...you'll experience a wisdom IN YOU, coming through you that you couldn't have seen without your willingness to go "there."

Onward, momma - experience that strength, face those fears.
"Don't you want something?" 
​No thanks - I have that Something, I have what I need IN ME to do this. 

I've been recalling my dreams more lately. I'm not certain the cause, but it could be that my "allowance" of wine has decreased significantly since the anniversary of Mom's death. I knew my increased consumption of wine and bagels is not sustainable for a healthy life, yet gave myself a year of comfort foods and relaxed shoulders in the evenings if wanted. 

Recently, in a dream, my youngest daughter and I were rolling around in a glass ball powered by our peddling. The balls glided over the surface and we smiled at each other, waving as we crossed paths. We were tooling around and it felt easy, relaxing and even productive as if were accomplishing something, seemingly intentional in our directions. 

Decades ago, I took a workshop about interpreting dreams, read some books and have since maintained a curiosity about what my brain is doing with these experiences. The night that followed, it wasn't the dream that I recalled as much as the "lesson" I recalled learning in my dream. I woke with an analogy; my mothering to my children is like a pacer (and / or rabbit) to a runner. Parenting as a pacer and coach, someone who can see and set safe pace, but reflects the child's experience, eventually more and more, dropping off the track to let them find and run their own races. 

This doesn't mean we aren't invited back on the track, maybe it's a new race like their own version of mothering, nor does it mean that we aren't still near(ish) to watch their race (journey, Life, adventure). As I've "run" (completely figurative - I'm a walker, not a runner) with my babies, my youngest is "running" more and more independently. I am embracing the opportunity to find my pace as it includes theirs less and less. For more than 33 years now, I've chosen to hold / mold my tempo to honor and keep theirs too, gratefully have been invited in after some have stepped away and back again. 

I suppose the awareness comes with a greater intensity partly because my youngest finishes elementary school this year. (a school my kids have attended since 1990!) She is, more and more, learning about self-management. She tells me when she's ready for bed, that she's bathed and brushed teeth. She monitors what homework is due when and what supplies she needs for school. Next year, she'll use a locker and by all indications, will be ready to succeed in a middle school setting of class changes and 7 teachers. 

Please don't misunderstand, we watch to ensure that she (and we) are practicing healthy choices, but the "management" of it is very different. Remembering to stop tying their shoes when they can do it themselves can be challenging (and painstakingly exhausting as we wait for them to do it). Same for setting bedtimes and other important practices for well-being. Personal responsibility that we want our kids to grow up with not only has to be taught and modeled, but also has to be practiced. 

This isn't an unfamiliar shift. Her siblings (4 of them, some in their thirties now), all made these leaps, but she's the baby and there isn't someone behind her that I'm walking in those closer "paced" seasons with anymore. More and more, I'm walking at my own pace and not embodying their races inside mine, but rather able to cheer them on.

This comes too as I miss my Mom, my biggest cheerleader. We "ran together", having some kids near the same ages, and I'm learning to count on her Sprit, more and more releasing her form. (that's another post for another day) 

I know that I'm not alone. I never have been...especially not when I chose to leave her pacing me as I set out away on my own adventures decades ago.I had to find my pace, my authentic expression of this Life. Our mothering is like that of a pacer, yet we have more responsibility to know ours than controlling theirs. We are, after all, more than a Mom. 

Do you have reminders of what works for you; what your healthy "pace" (and energetic, physical, emotional, spiritual space) is? If you need help determining your healthy (s)pace, especially relative to including your work, kids, creativity, health, self-care, etc., please reach out. You're not alone in this, but you are responsible to learn about what you  authentically thriving and healthy looks like; responsible to adapt and adjust to the changing terrain of your Life. 

I'm allowing myself to be curious, not critical about the changes happening in my (s)pace, especially regarding my participation with my kids. Having held the awareness of "running" along side them, sometimes pushing or pulling, sometimes sitting and resting talking through a challenge, I'm trusting their inner wisdom as I am reminded that I had to find mine...and still am responsible to cultivate my relationship to it, .

May we all be well and run a good race.
​