Yesterday I dropped my 14-year old off at the airport for a Washington DC school trip. As he walked away alone (dragging his suitcase behind him), I almost lost it.

It felt like a piece of me was walking away.

Although I rarely feel strained by regular work or life obligations, I do fall prey to overwhelm and stress when life feels like it's going too fast. It’s those moments that remind me how little time I have left to. . . make a difference in the world, spend time with those I love and (especially) have a positive impact on my kids.

And that’s how I felt yesterday morning.

There was a time when I’d have allowed this feeling to take me down for the day (possibly even the week).  But I no longer allow that to happen, so yesterday I used reframing to get back on track.

Reframing is something I talk about a lot (because it works!).  And since I used it yesterday in a situation where most people wouldn't think to use it, I wanted to share my experience with you.


Reframing is when you take something that’s perceived as a negative and turn it into something more positive.

No matter what the experience, there’s something that you’re gaining and/or learning from it. When you re-frame, you identify and focus on whatever that is.

Let me clear: I’m not suggesting that you just think positively, create a silver lining that doesn’t exist, or ignore the negative stuff. That won’t work (and that’s not what reframing is).

Reframing is about changing the story you tell yourself from something that’s all negative into something that’s REAL yet more positive.

It’s a powerful technique that helps you feel better in the moment AND also (if practiced regularly) empowers you to adopt a fail-forward, growth-oriented mindset.

To reframe my experience yesterday, I started by taking a couple of minutes to write down how I felt (so that I could fully understand what was going on inside of me).

Next, I wrote down as many positives as I could (for both me and my son), such as:

• Letting go is part of being a good mom (so it's a good thing that I'm doing it now).

• Our relationship is changing in many ways that are beneficial. He’s more helpful, mature, and interesting.  And we have some amazing conversations.

• He’s becoming more independent, which I want for him and am proud of.

• Zachary is a history buff - and he'll have fun learning while there.

• This trip will allow him to bond with his friends.

By the time I was finished, I felt excited for him and more content with letting him go. I even had a smile on my face.

Here’s the thing, Friend: You have a choice in how to deal with your thoughts and emotions.  Those choices have a direct impact on your happiness, success and long-term health.

Because we’re getting into one of the most stressful times of year, and a time when most people DROP self-care (when they most need it), I’m re-running the Simplify Self-Care Challenge beginning next Monday.

The Simplify Self-Care Challenge is for you if:

• Self-Care sometimes feels too hard, complicated and/or time-consuming,
• You want to take better care of yourself, and/or
• You want some simple and quick self-care ideas that fit easily into your life.

By the end of the Challenge, self-care will be simpler, easier and much more fun!

What can you expect after joining?  Beginning next Monday, you'll get a daily email with lesson and corresponding challenge.  The challenge is short (only 7 days) yet life-changing.

This is the same challenge offered back in September, so no need to sign up again if you went through it then (unless you want to)!