Learning to See the Value in Your Own Story and That You are Extraordinary with Jessica Dahlquist [Episode 74]

Jessica is a military mother of three boys and podcast host of the Extraordinary Moms Podcast. She talks about finding who she wants to be as a person and the joy in the moments where you can see progress in yourself. Key Points from this Episode: Night before prepping makes the next day so much smoother. When our kids lose it, we can make the choice not to lose it ourselves. We don't have to join the tantrum. We have to recognize that our children are each unique children of God and we are too. If we focus on staying calm and staying safe for our children, we can allow them to explore and figure themselves out while we adjust our parenting to each child's specific needs. Listen to our kids' feelings and let them be okay. We can coach our children to help them come up with plans for the hard times so they can do things as independently as they can. It can give them confidence to be able to work through their challenges they are faced with. We have to let our children see us problem solve our own struggles (on an age-appropriate level) or they won't know that it's normal to need to struggle. Are you cleaning the house to give you the right to complain when it gets messed up again, or cleaning because you love the feeling of a clean house. Pay attention to your motivations and evaluate what is working for you. Most of the time, it's not about what you're doing, but why you're doing it. Exhausted is not the same as depleted. Paying attention to how we are spending our energy can help keep us feeling good even as we are tired. It's okay to adjust the tasks to accomplish the value you are looking for. Look at the whys behind the activities you are doing. If the task is no longer adding the desired value to your life, make adjustments! Just because it's not working yet, doesn't mean it's not working. Play the long game. Taking the time to reflect and acknowledge our growth helps up recognize our own extraordinary lives. We are extraordinary, but a lot of times, we just don't take the time to notice. You are doing so much better than you think you are. You have grown so much more than you think you have. It is a skill to recognize that nothing lasts forever. We can live our lives more hopeful if we can remember that our challenges will be just for a moment. Close the background apps of your mind and see what's zapping your energy without your knowledge. Come back to them when you are in a better mental space and see how you can adjust your thinking for the future. Resources Extraordinary Moms Podcast Episode 26: Dealing with Childhood Anxiety with Austin