How to be a good homeschool mom when we’re tired?
It’s the season in all our lives to keep on keeping on.
In the spirit of refreshing our thoughts and continuing to grow despite a dormant phase, I share Brene Brown’s thoughts. She is the author of Daring Greatly, Gifts of Imperfections, and Rising Strong.
Let’s look at how to be a good homeschool mom with Brene Brown’s encouragement.
1. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
This has been difficult for me to learn. Courage requires risk which obviously might be risky.
When you show people who you really are, someone will eventually reject the real you. Ouch!
On the other hand, if you never show up, you’re “real you” will never really be acknowledged or accepted. So you’ll have to live without real acceptance. A fake form of acceptance is all you’ll get. You’ll get as much as you can earn, hustle or finagle out of others: not worth the effort.
Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.
And you need that when you’re a homeschool mom because you need to be surrounded by a supportive community that’s supporting the real you.
2. “What we know matters, but who we are matters more.”
And try as we might, when we try to portray an image of knowing, rather than just being, people wisely see through our façade. So no point putting on an image of something we think we should be, rather we choose to be what we actually are and have the courage to just be it.
Because what we know matters, but who we are matters more.
This is clearly true in our homeschools.
As more is caught than taught in our homeschools (dang it!) our most important efforts are put into who we are, not in what we know, or what we can teach, or if we can teach something in the best way.
3. “Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”
Yet they can be perceived that way by the fakers, the actors, the fearful ones, the hustlers. (The people that don’t show up and let themselves be real in front of others.)
Owning what we know to be true, in kindness and grace, is definitely not always comfortable. But when we do, we enable others to be themselves too.
Being real: not weakness.
And then our kids get to see our real selves and learn to be their real selves in their worlds too.
4. “Want to be happy? Stop trying to be perfect.”
How successful is successful enough? How productive is productive enough? When I really understood that I am on a timeline, I feel this sentiment intimately. How meaningless our activity is when we invest primarily in production or conventional success.
Everything we’ve built will come to an end, so we build what we build with perspective and live our lives on purpose.
Standards of perfection keep us from being happy, both within ourselves and with our relationships and certainly within our homeschools.
What is a perfect homeschool?
Even if it were possible to create a perfect homeschool, what is a perfect education anyway?
Homeschool mama self-care means we’re choosing our thoughts.
Big Emotions Journal for the Homeschool Mom
Introducing the Homeschool Mama’s Toolbox, a set of resources designed to help homeschooling mothers deal with big emotions and specifically address their thoughts. Your brain and thoughts are important tools that need to be regularly sharpened, and the Toolbox is here to help you do just that.
Incorporating mindfulness practices into your homeschool is one of the most effective ways to separate yourself from your thoughts and be present. The Toolbox includes three questions from Dr. Amen, author of Change your Brain, Change your Life: What am I feeling? What is the thought behind my feeling? What is the story behind my thought? These are questions that you can practice regularly to get the most out of them.
The Toolbox also encourages a daily meditation practice to help you distance yourself from your thoughts and just be present. Guided meditations such as Guided Meditation on Controlling Negative Thoughts and Guided Meditation for Inner Peace & Calm can help you get started.
Additionally, the Toolbox offers a Thought Care Checklist to help you deal with challenging situations that may arise in your homeschool. By considering alternative perspectives, you can reframe your thoughts and deal with the situation in a more positive and constructive way.
With the Homeschool Mama’s Toolbox, you can learn to influence your thoughts and create a better reality for yourself and your family. Download the Toolbox today and start sharpening your tools!
People also ask:
- How to Deal with Unrealistic Expectations as Homeschool Mama
- How to Incorporate Ten Basic Self-Care Tips for the Homeschool Mama
- the nurturing homeschool mama retreat to bring vision, clarity & confidence
- Do you do one-on-one coaching?
- Create a Practical Plan for your Self-Care so you can Thrive in your Homeschool
I’ve lost potential friendships because I was too real and shared too much of my past, and so for years I tried not to be so open, not to share so much of myself with others. But that was a lot of effort and now I realize people can either accept me or not but I’m going to be my authentic self no matter what.
Oh yes I’ve been there too. I have learned not to share things that require a Longer term trusting relationship. When I think of being myself I don’t mean ‘letting it all hang out’. (I used to think that way though). And I learned the hard way.
I am with you n being my authentic self though. That is required. And it’s becoming more authentic as I understand myself more. I tend to be more accepting of others now, more willing to find common ground now, because I’m more accepting of myself. Go figure!