Summary: One thing I hear moms tell me they want is to be MORE PRESENT. We know that in our daily life we have a lot of distractions pulling our attention away. And this is a problem when we are being pulled away from the tasks and people that are meaningful to us. <br> <br> Being a present parent allows us to engage, pour into and ENJOY our kids - and this has been a struggle of mine over the years - and a struggle I coach other moms through <br> <br> I polled my Facebook community on what keeps them from slowing down and being present - and the feedback was a resounding 'the mental to-do list!'. That streaming list in the back of our minds of 'what we SHOULD be doing RIGHT NOW!'. I call this the mental chatter. I also call this a thought trap - an autopilot thought keeping us stuck in a pattern that isn't serving us and making our lives better. <br> Why do we want to be more present in our parenting and life?<br> <br> * To nurture/improve our relationships<br> * To become more aware of what is available for us to enjoy in the here and now<br> * To be more relaxed rather than ruminating on the past or spinning with anxiety about the future<br> * To be more mindful and proactive rather than on autopilot and reactive<br> <br> You might want more presence if you feel like:<br> <br> * Your phone gets more attention than the people in your life<br> * You feel disconnected from others or your life<br> * You are often mentally distracted<br> * You really aren't enjoying what is happening, you kinda just numb and coast right through it <br> <br> The number on reason being present is hard is because of the MENTAL CHATTER. I want you to harness the power of the CBT model to see that your thoughts create your feelings and your feeling create your behaviour. <br> <br> I have an example of how I made a MINDSET shift that changed how I showed up during quarantine in a way that made me feel OPEN rather than made me feel constant rushed. <br> Tips for slowing down and showing up to be more present as a mom, and in your life:<br> <br> * Brain dump - declutter your brain<br> * Prioritize - this is a list of OPTIONS, now it is time to MAKE CHOICES<br> * Scheduling what NEEDS to be done - scheduling it in brings you freedom because you know there is time for what needs to get done<br> * Removing the distractions - from the phone to your time to your space<br> * Be proactive with what you will show up for - plan out specific activities/time frames that you will commit to showing up for<br> <br> <br> <br> Helpful links<br> <br> Listen to <a title="66. Are you stuck in the hustle for happiness? Finding contentment in momlife" href="https://simpleonpurpose.ca/hustle-for-happiness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Are you stuck in the hustle for happiness</a><br> <br> Listen to <a title="86. Why you are too busy (by enneagram type)" href="https://simpleonpurpose.ca/busy-culture-for-moms-enneagram/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why you are too busy (by enneagram type)</a> <br> <br> Blog post on <a title="Do Life Better with the Brain Dump" href="https://simpleonpurpose.ca/brain-dump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Do Life Better with a Brain Dump</a><br> <br> Join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/simpleonpurposecommunity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Simple on Purpose Community</a> Facebook group <br> <br> Sign up for the <a href="https://simple-on-purpose.ck.page/ace728f8f3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Simple Saturdays bi-weekly</a> (FUN/HELPFUL) email<br> <br> <br> <br> Full episode transcript <br> <br> Welcome to the Simple on Purpose podcast. This is a place for you, Mama, to come and feel refreshed. Because if you are going through your life, feeling resentful, feeling frustration,
