Parenting with Gratitude™

Let's explore the self-centered nature of a wellness journey and the discomfort that can arise when prioritizing ourselves. While self-love is important, it's not the only ingredient in the recipe for a fulfilling motherhood.

Connection with others is also necessary, and science shows it's one of the easiest ways to feel better in a demanding world. We will examine Maslow's pyramid of human needs and determine just how building a foundation of self-love and authenticity can make it easier to connect with others.

Ultimately, self-love isn't selfish; it makes us better at loving others.

Referenced in this episode:

• The balance of self-love and the "Self Positivity Bias."
• Dan Harris' killer TED Talk - "The benefits of not being a jerk to yourself."
• Science shows social connection is an easy way to affect our mood state.

Join the Gratitude Circle here, and let's anchor ourselves in connection.

Are you ready to parent with more patience, empathy, and compassion? Parenting with Gratitude™ is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book "here.

Subscribe and share so you can all listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

Other podcast bonuses include interviews with expert guests, sleep consultants, and other mindful parenting guides, and easy and fun gratitude practices that fit your modern parenting lifestyle.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

There are instances where the criticism of the self-help industry's methods becomes excessive. In this episode, I discuss the tendency to overcorrect in the realm of self-care, offer suggestions for integrating mindfulness into our paths to healing, and explore why meditation may be effective for some parents but not for everyone. These topics are covered to provide a more balanced perspective on the role of self-care in personal growth.

There are many ways to learn mindfulness that we have discussed on this podcast - you can try Episode 29, called 'Hello Moment' where I talk about Practical Mindfulness, or Episode 16, where I explain how gratitude can lead you to the 'Juicy Pause.' Take a listen, and I hope you keep an open mind and try these practices.

Referenced in this episode:

• "What does it take to really treat ourselves with care?" (NPR)

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Are you ready to parent with more patience, empathy, and compassion? Parenting with Gratitude™ is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book, "here.

Subscribe and share so you can all listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

Other podcast bonuses include interviews with expert guests, sleep consultants, other mindful parenting guides, and easy and fun gratitude practices that fit your modern lifestyle.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

Pain, Guilt, Pride, and Courage – when we acknowledge it all – the good, the bad, and the ugly of parenting, we begin to lay the building block of self-love or what I call self-mothering. We do not ignore our children's flaws and mistakes; we love them unconditionally, and we can offer that to ourselves as well.

In this episode, we will explore the importance of acknowledging negative thoughts and feelings and focus on identifying a particular habitual thought that contributes to our negative experiences as parents.

Positive emotions like joy, love, and excitement are the key to The Broaden and Build Cycle, which can help to catapult us from feelings of helplessness to ones of abundance.

If you want to skip to just the GoodAF Mom Pe Talk, it starts at minute 12:33.

Referenced in this episode:

• Barabara Friedrikson's Broaden and Build Theory

• Episode 13, where I talk more about it

• The study showed that a mom's mood affected her family twice more than any other caregiver.

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Are you ready to parent with more patience, empathy, and compassion? Parenting with Gratitude™ is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book "here.

Subscribe and share so you can all listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant, offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

Other podcast bonuses include interviews with expert guests, sleep consultants, other mindful parenting guides, and easy and fun gratitude practices that fit your modern lifestyle.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

Why are we so hyper-focused on parenting annoyances like butt wiping and nose cleaning and forget the fun games we play and snuggles we share? Surprisingly, the crusty noses of toddlerhood inspire self-development in this science-packed episode, featuring the Negativity Bias as its star.

The Negativity Bias is our brain's automatic habit of looking for and evaluating threats, prioritizing this hyper-focus over other types of thinking. Learn how to use gratitude to help you notice and readjust your perspective so you can learn the art of savoring: intentionally stepping outside an experience to observe and enjoy it in a deeper, richer way.

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Referenced in this episode:

• Professor Robert Emmons – author of Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier says: "When times are good, people take prosperity for granted and begin to believe that they are invulnerable."

• James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, says: "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

• Dr. Bruce Berry, co-author of the book What Happened to You? says: "The brain organizes from bottom to top, with the lower parts of the brain (brain stem/diencephalon aka "survival brain") developing earliest, the cortical areas (thinking brain) much later," and "The majority of brain organization takes place in the first four years. Our brain functions from the bottom up - the instincts first and then the sorting and reasoning after."

• The Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas, Dallas, neuroplasticity definition: "The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life."

• And the science behind savoring:

• Replaying experiences increased positive emotions with effect felt four weeks after - Lubrymoski (2006)

• Savoring helps to thwart hedonic adaptation - Jose et al. (2012)

• The science behind why we are actually happier after experiences versus buying stuff - Van Boven & Golvich (2003)

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book, "here.

Subscribe and share so you can ALL listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant, offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

Parenting with gratitude is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

Are you curious about how gratitude can improve your parenting? Tune in to this podcast episode, where we explore this topic with insights from the ChatGPT AI search device. Discover how mistakes and wins can be valuable choices for learning opportunities in parenting. As you choose to parent differently, you step into unfamiliar territory and let go of old habits and models. Learn to look inside yourself and prioritize self-reflection over perfectionism to become a more grateful and effective parent.

Referenced in this episode: Episode 31, where I become a fish murderer.

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book, "here.

Subscribe and share so you can ALL listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant, offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

Parenting with gratitude is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

Are you struggling to implement new parenting techniques despite your desire for change? In this episode, we delve into the Intention Action Gap and explore why bridging the gap between wanting change and taking action can be challenging. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to overcome this obstacle.

I introduce the "Parenting with Gratitude Equation": Intention + Attention + Action + Repetition = Results you can see and feel. Following this equation can transform your parenting style and journey from a "Bad Mom" to a "Happy Human."

I believe gratitude is the most effective tool for parents to shift their mindset in a short amount of time. Don't miss out on this episode - share it with a friend and start your journey toward positive change today!

Also Referenced in this Episode:

• The Opposite of Toxic Positivity by Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, from The Atlantic

• Dr. Laurie Santos, cognitive scientist and host of The Happiness Lab

• The G.I.Joe Fallacy

• Read The Decision Lab's article on the Intention Action Gap here.

• 2015 study examined why some people act on their dreams to become entrepreneurs while others only think and dream.

• 2005 study on why some people complete their fitness goals and others do not.

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book, "here.

Subscribe and share so you can ALL listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant, offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

Parenting with gratitude is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did five years ago.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

Are you struggling to add new routines that support your mental health as a mother? Are you feeling ashamed about not being able to stick with new habits? Discover how to add gratitude to your routine with guest Emily Silva of SoulsAdventures.com. Emily and I discuss simple ways to make new routines stick.

In this episode, Emily answers the common question: "Why can't I start a gratitude practice at night?" She offers simple steps to help you add a new step to your routine and stick with it. Plus, she shares tips for defining your Inner Glow and adding gratitude to your life in a more relaxed way.

As Emily says, "Gratitude is a muscle that helps you to stay in the present moment." This episode goes deep into actionable steps that will help to improve your mental health and wellness.

You can find Emily on Instagram @soulsadventures and her books (listed below) on her website as well as on Amazon:

• Moonlight Gratitude - new audiobook version available on Audible!

• Moonlight Gratitude: A Journal

• Find Your Glow, Feed Your Soul

• Sunrise Gratitude

You can also join her in-person "Gratitude Circle" every month in San Diego - find out more here.

Also Referenced in this Episode:

Savoring for 15 to 30 seconds helps the brain to make new neural pathways - learn more here.

James Clear empathizes that to introduce a new habit it has to be both easy to adapt and enjoyable - even if that joy comes from the reward you give yourself once it's over. His book Atomic Habits will change the way you look at your daily routines!

Itsy Bitsy Baby Yoga - my favorite baby yoga book - can be found here.

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book "here.

Subscribe and share so you can ALL listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant, offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

Parenting with gratitude is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

The stresses of parenting send you to places where you have no choice but to go. This is why mindfulness is so important to our parenting journeys. So we can notice when we are about to head off in that direction - when we react instead of respond when we go to the habitual response or the yelling when all we want to do is hold our child close.

"Practical mindfulness" is my term for introducing awareness techniques that mesh with parenting life. There is no extra activity or to-do list item here, just simple reminders offered in creative ways to help you replace old thinking with learning and growing.

References in this episode include:

• Neuropsychologist, Rick Hanson, Ph.D. and what he calls "Reactive Mode", check out Dr. Rick Hanson's book Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence.

• Stop Signs: Episode 21

• Choose a Color Game: Episode 12

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book "here.

Subscribe and share so you can ALL listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant, offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

Parenting with gratitude is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

Reflect, remember, and reorientate. That's what New Year, Same Me is about.

• Reflect on what you need, what is working, and what is not.
• Remembering the statistics of being a human at all.
• Reorientating our mindsets to focus on what we can control and not on what we can not.

We talk about Niel Pasricha's book The Happiness Equation in this Part 2 episode, go listen to Part 1 if you haven't yet. The themes we touch on include: working for the weekend and conserving mental energy.

I also suggest a LOT of great ideas when it comes to burnout and the typical stressors that when 'too' much or not 'enough' can take you down like meal prep, laundry, exercise, alone time, birthdays, and holidays, etc. We get into it and get really practical in this episode. Enjoy!

References:

• Gary Vee and existential gratitude video here.
• Reddit Mom went viral recently when she was seeking help with gentle parenting burnout.
• Every Plate - full disclosure, my link does send me free meals when you sign up but you get $105 to try the kit.
• Yoga Nidra Meditations
• Yasmin Johnston of Mindful Sleep, listen to her on Episode 10
• Taking Cara Babies Toddler Sleep Courses
• The average adult makes 35,000 decisions a day according to research

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book "here.

Subscribe and share so you can ALL listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant, offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

Parenting with gratitude is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com

Have you listened to a GoodAF Mom Pep Talk yet? If not, you are in for a surprise - these episodes are not just a moment of cheerleading but take a deeper look into the conversations we hold with ourselves. Today we meet our "Loving Anchor" or the voice of our future leaning, the authentic self typically drowned out by the louder and more urgent Inner Critic.

We also tackle the question - is enjoying your negative thinking cycle normal? And what can we do to strengthen our Loving Achor using acceptance, attention, and love?

References on this episode include:

Jack Kornfield's book No Time Like the Present

Tara Brach, whose quote, "We can love ourselves into healing," which I heard in one of her Dharma Talks, you can find for free on Youtube here.

And the mice from the MIT Habit Study helped us look at how we can both accept and override the Inner Critic encoded into every human's genes.

Join the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge here and start training your brain to notice the good - today.

Follow along for more gratitude and parenting advice:

👉Instagram

👉TikTok

👉Youtube

Buy my bedtime book: "The Middle of the Night Book "here.

Subscribe and share so you can ALL listen as a parenting expert and author, Stef Tousignant, offers you a sneak peek into her journey to normalize imperfect parenting and discover the gifts a committed gratitude practice can bring to modern family life.

Parenting with gratitude is not the end goal - it's the method. 🎟 It's the means to achieving the goal of parenting differently.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you were raised.

🎧 Listen to this podcast if you want to parent differently than you did 5 years ago.

The kids of my good friend Alison Mountford of Ends and Stems, a family meal planning and food waste expert, provided our fantastic and giggly intro. More about her here: https://endsandstems.com