As a midlife mom, it is easy to get caught up in the daily to list tasks and all the things we 'should' be doing. But seriously, do we have to be so hard on ourselves while we do it? I hope not! One of the things I have noticed as a life coach, is that most midlife moms are really hard on themselves. They are trying so hard to please others and take on others responsibilities and hero those they care about. But this leads to resentment, lack of appreciation, and burnout. I have a few suggestions. I share these because I have done all of them. And have learned from my mistakes. And continue to learn even now. 1. Allow yourself some space to just be yourself. Take really good care of yourself. Set some guidelines of when you would like to go to sleep and let everyone know so you can start your day right. And find things that you are looking forward to doing in the morning that fill your cup and make you happy! 2. Allow others to fail. Especially our teens. Ugg. I know! But it is better for them to learn now so they will know how to handle things in the future on their own. Rushing in to rescue them might seem like a good idea in the moment, but they will then expect you to rescue them in the future and won't realize their own responsibility for their choices. Mistakes now are so much smaller and easier than later on when they are in their 20's. Look at what is yours and what is not and allow others to take ownership of their choices. 3. You are doing your best. Recognize where you are winning. See the good you are doing and praise yourself for it. Seriously! When you do, it allows you to see More good and less of the negative. I believe it allows you to see things as they really are. We are so afraid of puffing ourselves up and making praise into some narcissistic tendencies so we avoid praise all together. But then we brush away any good or compliment that comes our way. So I challenge you to allow yourself to receive and give praise freely. And the next time you get a compliment you simply say "thank you". And receive it. Because it helps both of you to feel good. 4. Be kind to yourself. Self critical thoughts are not who you are. So allow yourself some grace. Forgive yourself. And let go of such negativity. It might take some time. And that's ok. But let yourself feel loved even when you are not at your best. Laugh at your mistakes. Get silly. There is no right way to do life. So stop taking your self critical thoughts so seriously. They are only thoughts. And you deserve better than to believe them. 5. Let go of your 'shoulds'. Louise Hay says: “I remove the word should from my vocabulary forever. Should is a word that makes a prisoner of me. Every time I say should, I am making myself wrong, or I am making someone else wrong. I am, in effect, saying I am not good enough.” So let go of should. Instead, try on 'could', or 'I wonder if I did this what would happen'. See what happens when you let yourself open up to what is possible and see how you feel! I hope this list helps you to see that you are enough. You are praiseworthy. And you are loved. There is no one quite like you. The things you do everyday to nurture and take care of your family and teens is amazing! It doesn't go unnoticed. By practicing even a few of these things each day could make such a difference in how you feel about yourself. And when you feel good, it makes such a difference for all those around you to feel good to! Love you my friend! Know you have me in your corner rooting for you each day!