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It's a wild claim, and Sterling Jaquith makes it anyway. After asking her email list what they're struggling with right now, she read more than 200 responses, and reading every single one she kept thinking the same thing: oh, I could help her feel so much better about that.

Not because the hard things aren't real. They are. But because underneath every one of them is the same skill, the number one skill, and almost nobody is actually practicing it. This episode walks through several of the things moms wrote in about, completely anonymously, and shows you the one thing that changes how you experience all of it.

WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why the number one skill is noticing how you think and choosing it on purpose, until you feel the way you want to feel
• Older kids who've walked away from the faith, and the thoughts keeping you in pain (including the story of Sterling's own return at 23)
• Perfectionism, negative self-talk, and low self-image, and why "I struggle with this" is just a thought you're not doing anything about
• The yellow walls metaphor: paint them, or genuinely make peace with them, but stop suffering in between
• The messy house, ranking what's actually worth your energy, and choosing thoughts that are true and feel better
• Why managing your mind is the most Catholic thing of all, and why you learn it now so you can teach your kids

EPISODE TIMELINE:

• [00:00] – The 200 emails, and the one skill underneath every problem
• [05:00] – "Do you have anything for teens?" Why Catholic Mom Calm is for every mom, period
• [10:00] – Older children who've left the faith, and choosing a thought that gives you peace
• [15:00] – Perfectionism and negative self-talk, the yellow walls, and the messy-house reframe
• [20:00] – Managing your mind like physical fitness, the "spoiled" and baby-belly stories, and the unfinished house
• [24:00] – The most Catholic thing: peace, playing with your thoughts, and raising a calmer generation

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Catholic Mom Calm (Good Mom Summer): https://catholicmomcalm.com
• Calm Catholic Kids (Summer of Kindness stories free now): https://catholicmomcalm.com/calm-catholic-kids-collection-3-kindness/
• Catholic Finishing School (join anytime this summer if your daughter is a teenager): https://www.catholicfinishingschool.com/
• France pilgrimage/trip (a few spots left): https://catholicmomcalm.com/france/

CONNECT WITH STERLING JAQUITH:

• Website: https://catholicmomcalm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicmomcalm