Dear Parents and Carers,

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself using mantras as a way to manage tricky situations, in both my personal and professional life. I think sometimes, we need to talk ourselves into doing the “hard things”. Things that we would like to put on the backburner and not deal with straight away… Unfortunately, that’s not how life works. It keeps rolling on, whether we decide to jump onboard or stand still. 

Dr Siggie’s words this week resonated strongly with me. It’s worth the five-minute read. 

A mantra is a personal affirmation that you say to yourself during tough moments. It’s a way to encourage yourself and cheer yourself on. You can create one for yourself or use one of the below. Here are some of my favourite mantras, including the one I use.

"It's ok. We are ok."

"Breathe. I've got this."

"This is hard. I can still do this."

"I can stay calm… I can stay calm.”

"I believe in myself and I know what to do."

"I am the lighthouse and my child is the storm… I am the lighthouse…”

“This too shall pass.”

“I am my child’s mentor.”

“Slow down… slow down.”

In moments of frustration, you want to use a personal mantra that really encourages you and you want to really believe in what you’re saying. Let’s put all these steps together and see how this can work out in a real life scenario.

You’ve really thought deeply about your triggers and you’ve come to recognise that a messy house really gets to you. You like things done your way, you like to feel in control and it makes you feel out of control and overwhelmed when your house is messy. You’re working to continually understand and manage your triggers. You wanted to clean up a bit but didn’t have the time. You’ve checked in with yourself a handful of times throughout the day and you recognise you’re feeling stressed because you weren’t able to achieve what you planned to. Your kids come home from school and there are immediately shoes, socks and bags thrown about. You look inward once again and feel a tightening in your chest and a shot of anxiety. Instead of immediately reacting, you slow down and again, check in with how you’re feeling:

“I really don’t like messes. They make me feel out of control… I also wanted to clean up earlier and wasn’t able to and it’s been bothering me all day… this is about me and not about my kids…. breathe… breathe… slow down…” “breathe…. ok, I can do this… I’m ok, I’ve got this.”

You walk over to your kids and let them know, calmly and confidently: 

“Time to pick up your shoes and socks and put them in your room. Yes, right now… I know you don’t want to… I know it feels hard… still, that’s what we’re doing right now. Go ahead, you can do it. I’ll get your socks and you get your shoes. There you go.” 

And throughout your conversation with your children you’re breathing, looking inward and checking in and encouraging yourself with your mantra. 

Do you see how easily and quickly this scenario could have taken a different turn… and ended in yelling and threatening. The more you practise, the more this becomes a habit for you and you’re moving through these steps in mere seconds.

Rachel Powell
Assistant Principal (Acting)
rachel.powell@cg.catholic.edu.au