JUST ONE THING: RELAXING & my favorite winter skin products! ❄️

I hate the word "relax," so let's rebrand it!

What’s coming up:

• My mini-pod will be out on Thursday, the 23rd, subscribe to hear it all! I’ll be talking about my own parenting life and Just One Thing…and giving food for thought for your own parenting life.

• Subscribe for the Valentine’s Day Challenge! It’ll be onSubstack, and I will be giving out some treats!

• I have two coaching spots open on Tuesdays…write to support@mlparentcoach.com to grab your spot. Not ready to commit or want to chat with me first? Click here for a Discover Call.

• Finally, if the fire in CA or the floods in North Carolina/Florida have impacted your parenting life, I’m holding coaching spots for you (for free).  Write to me at meghan@mlparentcoach.com with the subject line: Crisis Support.

• I donate almost exclusively to WCK because they show up and make food for all, no politics, no bullshit, no waste. Think about becoming a monthly donor.

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Favorite winter beauty products right now:

• I love this balm. It is pricey, but if you live somewhere cold, it is a skin-saver. It feels delish at night. It is worth it. Want something less expensive? It’s not as thick, but it is loverly.

• Itis a skin tint, it’s a little sunscreen, it’s a beautiful finish, it is my favorite.

• I love mixing this body oil in with my moisturizer all winter. It makes the oil last longer.

• This lip oil is loverly, and the color Remix is a little shimmery for night (or day).

What am I playing on repeat?

“Carry” by Joy Oladokun is healing and uplifting and needed right now. Keep the faith.

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JUST ONE THING…Relax….?

Photo by Kasper Rasmussen on Unsplash

Is there anything more annoying than being told to relax? Humans have this natural reaction to being bossed around (positively or negatively), and we will often do the opposite of what has been requested or denied…and in this case, people do NOT relax when told to relax.

So, what does Rick Hanson mean when he wants us to relax? Well, he means it quite literally. He encourages all of us to learn to relax our bodies, and this most quickly (and easily) done through the breath. No complicated meditations needed, no apps. Just breathing in through the nose for three and out through the nose (or mouth) for three is enough for the body to begin to regulate. And regulation is another word for relaxation.

Why is regulation/relaxation so important for us parents? If I’ve discovered anything over these last 20 years working with parents, it’s that parenting is 80% reparenting ourselves and 20% parenting our actual kids.

We are so friggin’ activated by our kids.

Our nervous systems are triggered and button-pushed and plucked all the live-long day, and some of us are more reactive than others. And I am not shaming a soul…we come by it genetically and environmentally! We are battling reactivity we aren’t even aware of…totally unconscious!

Whether or not you go to therapy to unpack every single thing that has happened to you is up to you, but in the moment of feeling like you are losing your shit? Like you cannot handle one more thing with your child? Breath. Regulate. Repeat. You can simply pause your nervous system from going on a trip without you. 

What JUST ONE THING to regulate/relax can you do right now?

• Lay on the floor (or whatever flat surface works for your body, but I like the floor because you can really feel it), put your hands on your belly and feel it go up and down with your breath. Don’t do anything special, just breathe. Do it until you feel your body begin to melt into the Earth (muscles begin to release).

• Sit up right in a chair. Put one hand on your heart and the other hand on your belly. Eyes opened or closed, breathe three counts into your hand on your belly. Breathe out for three from your heart. Repeat until your shoulders slide down.

• Take your dog on a walk, walk to your car after work, walk to get your kids from school, walk to lunch…(just walk) and focus on your in and out breath. Just become aware of it. Breathe in and say (to yourself or aloud) “HAMMMMM” and when you exhale you say “SAAAAA” 

What does this look like for my clients?