Let’s talk about real life for a second, can we? Sometimes it just doesn’t go according to plan. We can be moving along just fine, being the kind of parent we feel good about being, then life throws something at us that knocks us completely off course. Maybe it’s the death of a friend or family member, or loss of a job or income, advice from a friend when you’re feeling vulnerable, or maybe it’s out-of-nowhere behavior from your child that completely baffles you and nudges you onto a different rail – one you’re not entirely comfortable traveling. Maybe it’s a bout with anxiety, depression, or other mental illness. Or maybe the exhaustion of pouring everything in your heart and soul out day after day just finally catches up with you.

Anytime we are overloaded physically, mentally, or emotionally, it’s really tough to stay on course. Signs of derailment manifests in multiple ways. Maybe you’re yelling too often or snapping at your loved ones too much. Your patience is thin. Your sensory systems feel overloaded. Maybe you’re just not entirely present – there but not there. Maybe you are the type that withdraws for a bit to recharge yourself. Maybe you take a 4-day trip to the mountains to meditate in a cave. Okay, you probably don’t do that. But you might feel like it!

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