Prioritizing Our Own Happiness
Pause to Ponder
For July and August, instead of writing full-length blogs, I’ll be sharing short “Pause to Ponder” posts—offering you something I’ve found lovely, intriguing or inspiring to touch your heart or get you thinking. Happy summering!
“Here are some things I don’t want my children to say about me when they’re older: ‘My mom? She did everything for me,’ or ‘My mom always put me first,’ or ‘My mom never took care of herself, she was too busy caring for us.’ I hope they never say any version of, ‘My mom ran herself into the ground while she parented me.’
What do I want my kids to say instead? How about: ‘My mom? She knew when she needed time for herself and balanced that with meeting my needs,’ or ‘My mom was an awesome model for self-care. She taught me the importance of taking care of myself, and how to do that while still being connected to someone else.’ Or maybe even, ‘My mom showed me that parenthood doesn’t mean losing yourself. Parenthood means helping your child develop and grow while you yourself are developing and growing at the same time.’”
—Dr. Becky Kennedy, from Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
“If your happiness depends on your children being happy, that makes them your hostages. So stay out of their business, stop using them for your happiness, and be your own happiness. And that way you are the teacher for your children: someone who knows how to live a happy life.”
—Byron Katie, from Question Your Thinking, Change the World: Quotations from Byron Katie
Take a Moment Micro-Meditation
Tiny pauses to be right here, right now can have big results. Our Take a Moment series of micro-meditations—all under two minutes long—make taking mindful pauses as easy as possible. We invite you to "Take a Moment" to find the calm that is always within you.
