In their book, Mommy Mantras: Affirmations and Insights to Keep You From Losing Your Mind, psychologists Bethany E. Casarjian and Diane H. Dillon encourage moms to consciously “let go of negative moods.” Amid the extra stress of the holiday season, it seems fitting to zero in on some Zen.
Here’s an excerpt to turn to when the clock strikes 5 and all heck breaks loose
(at least that seems to happen at my house most nights).
“Having young children is physically demanding work and we are only human. Sometimes, even though we know that fully embracing the present moment will offer us relief, we cannot surrender. The mind is often a powerful adversary to our emotional well-being. It traps us into holding on to old familiar patterns and ways of tackling problems even when they are proven to be ineffective.
When you find yourself unable or unwilling to be totally in the present, when you are counting the seconds to bedtime, when a paralyzed look of dread and angst takes over your face for the last two hours of the day, remind yourself that you’re not Buddha (although you do have Buddha nature within you). There are days when getting through is good enough. In fact, it is better than good enough. It’s incredible.“
Copyright 2006 by Bethany E. Casarjian and Diane H. Dillon.
From the book Mommy Mantras by Bethany E. Casarjian, Ph.D., and Diane H. Dillon, Ph.D., published by Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
