Jessica Johnson-Coaching

Today I had the privilege of talking about the importance of self-care at a retreat for foster moms hosted by Embrace Washington. It's easy to look at self-care as something optional instead of something vital. Self-care grows our window of tolerance so that we can show up as more patient, loving and nurturing moms. It's how we avoid burnout.

In our journey of parenting, we will inevitably go through seasons of intensity and extreme challenges and hopefully times where we can catch our breath and feel like we’re in a bit of a rhythm and things have stabilized. When we as parents face these hard seasons, it’s important that we maintain a healthy perspective and avoid negative spiral thinking patterns. These challenges may be times when you are adding a new child to your family, dealing with acting out behaviors, a school transition, or the teenage years.

It's so important for us to be mindful of the thoughts that we are allowing to ruminate inside our brain. Because these thoughts will become determinates of the state of health or disease in our bodies and they will affect the way we parent our children.

Here are some practical mindset shifts we can work on:
1. Gratitude-no matter how hard things get try to find a few things each day that you can be grateful for. Write it in a journal. Speak it. This practice is linked to your prefrontal cortex which is the area of the brain that makes decision making.

2. Commitment-We are in this for the long haul. I will stretch myself to do things that may feel uncomfortable to me if it will help my child.

3. Reflect on your child’s strengths. It’s so easy to see their shortcomings and find things that need to be corrected but what are their natural strengths and abilities. Do not let your mind wander to a place of resenting your child or ruminating on all their flaws. We have to stay compassionate.

4. Don’t allow your mind to settle in a “stuck place” but step back that to look at some possibilities. What resources do I have available to me? Does your insurance pay for counseling services. What services are available at your child’s school. Who can you trust to leave your kids with so you can get a break?

5. Considering a spiritual perspective. If you are an individual of faith, exercising prayer and recognizing a greater power at work in the situation is so helpful. The practice of meditation can be a form of release. By stilling our mind for a period of time we can often gain greater clarity around a particular situation.

No matter what you are facing there is hope! You will make it through this season and come out on the other side stronger.

September is just around the corner which often is a season for change and resets. Maybe your kids are settling into new school routines, and you are catching your breath after a busy summer.

This time of year has typically been an opportunity for me to get back on track with nourishing habits and goals. I hope this season might also be a catalyst of intentional growth for you!

I would encourage you to be gracious with yourself, acknowledge the difficult pieces you’re holding together and take some proactive steps to lighten your stress load.

The problem with stress is that the destructive course it takes in our body is often silent. We don’t realize the devastation it’s causing until it’s too late and disease has settled in. Our bodies were designed to deal with episodes of acute stress, but the problem is when stress becomes chronic. When the stress signals are triggered too frequently, our bodies build resistance to the constant influx of hormones, and they become more tolerant of these stress signals. This depletes energy pathways in our bodies and creates the perfect storm for conditions like type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease, digestive problems, and weight loss resistance.

This is why being intentional with stress management is so important. We want to weave practices into our day that activate our parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest and repair). Here are some practices that bring your body back to a place of balance:
• Diaphragmatic/deep belly breathing
• Journaling
• Talking about your stress with a trusted friend
• The right type of exercise (for some people this might be a high intensity work out, for other people yoga or Tai Chi)
• Meditation
• Spending time in nature
• Carving out regular time for hobbies that bring you joy

Another thing to keep in mind is that much of the battle with stress actually starts in our mind. It’s the perception or anticipation of stress that ends up being worse than the situation itself. If we can begin to think differently about stressful things in life like our child’s behaviors, a work deadline or everything on our to-do list, then we are on the right track.

What are the mindset shifts you can make today to think differently about your stress? What are some stress management practices you can add into your calendar to turn a new corner?
Being proactive is not easy, but it’s vitally important for our wellbeing and for the overall health of our family!

“It’s easier to build a secure attachment with a child than to repair broken adults.” This quote by Fredrick Douglas has really resonated with me.

In the last year of my life, I’ve done a deep dive into understanding the vital role attachment plays in our closest relationships. Working through challenges in my own marriage and seeing close friends of mine who have also hit some marriage hurtles in their 40’s, has opened my eyes to the foundational importance of those early bonds.

I’m beginning to look at all aspects of life through the lens of attachment. The nurture or lack thereof that you received in your early years of life set the course for all the important relationships you have later in life.

The good news is whether you have an anxious attachment, avoidant attachment style or are securely attached but have some leniency in one direction or the other, there is work you can do to become more secure. With the help of a trusted counselor or through an online resources like Thais Gibson’s School of Personal Development Personal Development School you can make strides toward more fulfilling relationships.

As you grow in this area you will notice your triggers happening less and being less intense. Your personal boundaries will improve as you develop healthy interdependence. You’ll also have a greater capacity to communicate your needs, have more empathy and exercise vulnerability.

As we do our own hard work, our ability to build a secure attachment with our children will also grow.

Do you feel like summer is flying by and your stuck working missing out on fun adventures with the family or just time to relax and reboot. Juggling the demands of a career and a family are challenging. But with a little strategic planning it’s possible to both have memorable shared experiences with your family and to feel personally refreshed and rejuvenated.
So how do you maximize your limited time off?
1. Make the most of your weekends. Engage in activities that you love. Plan fun family outings. Try to completely disconnect from work and social media so that you can be fully present with your family. Delegate household chores to your spouse or kids or consider hiring a house cleaner and getting groceries delivered so you’re not using your limited time off doing these things.
2. Plan ahead to make the most of holiday weekends and vacation time. While elaborate vacations might not be feasible, planning staycations or nearby mini getaways are great ways to unwind.
3. Create boundaries at work. It can be easy to get caught up in trying to complete endless tasks and commitments but having boundaries in place will ensure that you have dedicated time for yourself and your family. Communicate your need for work-life balance to your supervisor and colleagues so that your time off is respected.
4. Prioritize self-care. Working moms often put a lot of pressure on themselves to excel at work and home. Reminding yourself that it’s ok to take breaks. Its ok carve out time for yourself. This might look like a spa treatment, massage, or a yoga routine. This time will energize and rejuvenate you for the challenges that will inevitably come your way.
Remember it’s not about how much time off you have, but rather the quality of the time you share with friends and family and how you use the time to replenish yourself.

Do you feel like there’s an invisible burden on your shoulders that keeps getting heavier and heavier? Whether you’re dealing with repeated behavioral challenges with your children, or you are working in a profession with high needs individuals, it can be easy to overlook the toll that these experiences are taking on our emotional well being.
Secondary trauma refers to the emotional and psychological distress experienced by individuals who are indirectly exposed to the trauma experienced by others.
You may be familiar with other terms used synonymously with secondary trauma such as compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma. Symptoms that go along with this condition are feelings of helplessness, emotional exhaustion, a lack of empathy, increased anxiety, and disruptions in one’s overall ability to function.
If you think you may be suffering from symptoms of secondary trauma, here are a few ways to promote healing:
1. Acknowledge what you have been through. It takes courage and vulnerability to admit that you are suffering, that you are not as resilient as you once thought. By acknowledging your current condition, you are taking the first step toward healing to honor your own emotional needs.
2. Prioritize self-care. Make time to engage in a hobby that brings you joy. Consider spending time in nature or doing something that promotes relaxation such as journaling or meditation. Prioritize this time in your calendar each week so it actually happens.
3. Find support. This might be a support group, counselor, or friend. It’s important to have a safe place to share openly and honestly about what we have been through and what we are currently dealing with. The more sources of support you can build into life the better.
4. Engage in self-reflection to better understand your emotional triggers. This could be done on your own or through the support of a counselor. Sometimes we have unresolved trauma from our own past that may be contributing to our secondary trauma.
When we focus on our own healing journey, those around us will benefit. We will be able to establish stronger boundaries and exhibit genuine empathy for others.

✨𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐓✨
ꜰᴇᴀᴛᴜʀɪɴɢ Jessica Johnson-Coaching with Root and Revive Wellness

𝕄𝕖𝕖𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕆𝕨𝕟𝕖𝕣!
Hi I'm Jessica Johnson. I am a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and have a B.A. in Recreational Therapy. I am passionate about helping individuals find balance and harmony in their life through holistic self-care practices.
My personal experience of adopting and raising a sibling group of three children has taught me the importance of regular stress management practices. I have also seen first-hand how our early childhood experiences shape our most intimate relationships later in life. Through awareness and intention, we can create the life we want and stop repeating patterns from the past.

𝕎𝕙𝕠 𝕎𝕖 𝔸𝕣𝕖!
I'm a health coach who helps working moms decrease their stress, have more energy and feel better so they can enjoy their families and their lives. I am also an adoptive mom and specialize in working with Adoptive Moms. My website is www.rootandrevivewellness.com You can sign up for a free 60-minute health breakthrough call on my website. I also have a free stress management guide for moms called "Stress to Strength" you can sign up to download your copy here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/txemuqr/StressToStrength

In this group, I will be sharing parenting and bonding tips, stress management ideas, as well as self-care strategies.

I'm so excited to share with you this free guide I just created for adoptive moms called "Stress to Strength a 6-step guide for Adoptive moms." This guide will provide practical tools and strategies to decrease your stress and ease the frustrations that come with any difficulty in your family. Click here to sign up for the downloadable guide. https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/SlPKonx

Jessica Johnson-Coaching updated their information in their About section.