Did you work on Mother's Day?

My Mother’s Day weekend was wonderful. I made a conscious decision to spend Mother’s Day eve pampering myself by getting my hair and nails done and just spending the day with myself.  It was wonderful! Sunday rolled around and we went to church and then my family took me out to brunch. I received lovely gifts and beautiful flowers.  We came home and I looked around the house and there were several things that needed to be done to prepare for the week.  My family told me to sit down and relax because it was Mother’s Day. I knew that if I didn’t take the time to get things done and plan for the week everything would really spiral out of control. I was refreshed from my self-care day the day before and got busy taking care of things on Mother’s Day evening.  I love this picture below this is totally a mother’s reality! Ha!!

I went to bed on Mother’s day feeling so refreshed and relaxed. I hit Monday morning ready for the week.  Well it’s only Wednesday and my week has been CRAY – ZAY! My Zen from the weekend has totally evaporated and I am in busy mom, wife everything mode!   I smile at myself knowing at least I tried to prepare before all the wheels came off.  So, on this week’s blog I wanted to remind all the mothers out there to practice self-care daily, heck even hourly during those crazy times.  We are the best for our families when we take diligent care of ourselves. I am always reminded of this principle when we are traveling on the plane.  The flight attendant directs the passengers that in an emergency if you are traveling with small children to put the oxygen mask on yourself first and then place it on your children. We are no help if we are passed out or exhausted mentally and physically.  So, Moms here’s your permission slip to make self-care your daily practice!

Happy Mother’s Day/Week/Month and year to everyone!!

By Kara Norman- Empower Her, Inc.

Kara Norman Atlanta Based Women Empowerment Thought Leader and bi-weekly blog contributor.

Kara Norman has been working with Women and Girls for a number of years. Her nonprofit organization Empower Her Inc , have led to many opportunities in the space of making social changes as it deals with women and their many roles in society. You can learn more about Kara Norman and Empower Her Inc. at http://www.empowerherinc.com/

Hello May!!!!

A brand-new month is already here – can you believe it?  If your life is like mine May is always a busy month for my family and I. My schedule is filled with school plays, spring concerts, 8th grade dances, end of the school year activities packing up my college daughter to return home, graduations and birthday celebrations all on top of our regular schedule. Whew! I normally approach busy seasons flying by the seat of my pants, exhausted, stressed and doing way too much. This year I am working on being intentional and focusing on how I want to feel as I move through life. More peace, patience, enjoying the journey and joy in the middle of the storms.  Self-care strategies that I have mentioned in my previous post have helped me tremendously.

One of the ways we can be more intentional about self-care is to be more aware of what our stress levels are and their long term impacts.  There is a great tool called the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale that can help you understand the way different stressors both good and bad can impact our lives on a short term and long term basis. It is good to be aware of the different levels of stress and how to better manage on a day to day, month to month and year to year basis.

Take a moment and add up your stress levels based on this quiz/point system below and assess the impacts that your stress levels can have on you. An online version can also be found here:

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_82.htm

Once you add up your scores you can use this scale:

Total Point Score:

11-150 Points -  You have only a low to moderate chance of becoming ill in the near future.

150-299 Points – You have a moderate to high chance of becoming ill in the near future.

300-600 Points -  You have a high or very high risk of becoming ill in the near future.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we will dive into this topic even further this month as well as develop better-coping strategies to be more intentional with our mental health and self-care practices!

Cheers to May!

By Kara Norman- Empower Her, Inc.

Kara Norman Atlanta Based Women Empowerment Thought Leader and bi-weekly blog contributor.

Kara Norman has been working with Women and Girls for a number of years. Her nonprofit organization Empower Her Inc , have led to many opportunities in the space of making social changes as it deals with women and their many roles in society. You can learn more about Kara Norman and Empower Her Inc. at http://www.empowerherinc.com/

Empower Hour with Kara Norman- Drop the Ball

Halloween has come and gone and left me with a new perspective on parenthood and my journey as a woman moving through my life.  See for me this was my first year not rushing home to get my daughters ready to trick or treat. I have a sophomore in college and an 8th grader in middle school.  This year my youngest daughter had other plans that involved her going home with a friend and trick or treating in a neighborhood other than my own. I woke up on Halloween morning to a page full of past Facebook Halloween memories.  As I scrolled through the memories filled with snaggletooth smiles and dozens of costumes between the two of them over the years, my heart sank.  Where had the time gone?

I fought crazy traffic after leaving work and came home to a quiet house.  My husband had picked up candy for the trick or treaters earlier that day. It was my first time being home to greet the trick or treaters as I always took the girls out and hubby stayed behind.  It was so quiet and empty. I texted my youngest to see how things were going and reminded her that I needed to see a picture at least.  I checked in with college girl to see what her plans were and I received a selfie of her with the caption “I am a tired college student #spooky”.   This new normal is very hard at times for sure.  I hugged my hubby for comfort and we settled in to welcome the trick or treaters.  My dog comes around the corner and  I had a light bulb moment and found a costume that I picked up a few years ago and wrestled him down to take a few pictures.  He was not happy, but I felt so much better. 

As the evening went along I got to see all the little neighborhood kids at the door and the proud parents.  I reflected on my experiences with my girls and I realized that I tried to do too much and was often not fully present for many wonderful moments.  I was that busy super mom juggling a million things.  In our country, we fought hard for women’s rights over the past decades to be equal to men.  I think we swung way too far over to the other side.  We have this new badge of honor that we wear that is celebrated when we are slaying it as women, crushing goals and the myth that we can have it all.   All the while we are more sick, tired, depressed and not living in the moment.  Yesterday was a huge reminder of the importance of being in the present, taking things off our plates and slowing down as women and especially moms.  I never thought of the day my girls would become more independent or the day they would leave the nest. 

This past year of transition has left me feeling lost, filled with anxiety, depressed, unmotivated and just not myself. I am in the process of healing, practicing more self-care and redefining who I am as a woman now that my roles are changing.  I look back and realized all the balls I had in the air are not as important as the quality time spent with my kids when I was not super stressed, worn out or distracted.  Yesterday was a reminder that we are constantly evolving and change is happening all around us.  On this week’s Empower Hour I want to remind everyone to drop a few balls every day that you are trying to juggle to make room to fully embrace the special moments in life!

Here are some great tools to learn to do less, be more present and drop more balls:

• Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less: by Tiffany Dufu
• Own Your Glow – A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowing the Queen Within:  by Latham Thomas
• Oprah & Deepak Chopra Making Every Moment Matter 21 Day Mediation Series (https://chopracentermeditation.com)

Celebrate Life Every day!

Empower Hour with Kara Norman!

Reflections of Foundation of Strength! 

Remembering my grandmother’s legacy today on her birthday. So important to tap into the strength of the amazing women that came before me and make me who I am today!#mylegacy #heritage

I posted this about her in 2013:
Today is my Grandmother's birthday, she passed away a few days after President Obama was elected. I remember calling her the next day after he was elected and she was so proud to have lived to see that day! On this day, I miss her terribly, but know that she is so proud of me in Heaven. She was a STRONG woman of faith and I feel her prayers carrying me through life now. I think I get some of my empowerment spirit from her. She attended Clark Atlanta University at a time when women were not going to college, she even majored in math! She told me that she remembered seeing Mary Mckeod Bethune and W.E.B Dubois on her campus teaching classes! I also remember learning that after my grandmother retired she used to teach a woman in her 70s how to read once a week! She was also an empowered mom raising 6 children in a very difficult time. My grandmother taught elementary school when schools were integrated many years ago. Could you imagine being a teacher in that classroom on that day! Thank you Grandma Lucy for leaving such a beautiful and strong legacy and thank you God for giving me such a wonderful role model and support system for so many years!

This scripture came in my spirit this morning "I can do ALL things in Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13. I immediately thought about my Grandma Lucy who was a strong woman of faith and wisdom. She raised 6 children and endured many trials. She always had a open bible on her bed until the end. Today I felt her strength that no matter how hard and challenging things are you must have your faith to triumph through it all.

Thank you Grandma for passing down one of the best gifts a family can receive..FAITH!

Have a faith filled Day Everyone! 

Ancestral Prayer- Taken From Own you Glow - Latham Thomas! 

"Light a candle and sit in silence. Ask for guidance as you tune in to the silence. Start to speak to you ancestors silently or out loud"

I honor my unique gifts, talents and powers. I come from a strong and powerful people. I release the baggage and ancestral wounds that have been past on to me. I will turn the pain and struggle of my past into purpose. I celebrate the freedom that I have because of sacrifices made before me. I promise to honor my lineage and live out my truth. I bow to the legacy that gave rise to me. Through my thoughts and actions, I pave the path for a legacy I will leave behind"

Be Empowered!