The Self-Care Party for Moms

Turning Life's Pages with Grace: A Mom's Birthday Blueprint for Nurturing Joy

Elizabeth Camargo Garcia, LMFT Episode 21

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As I turned another year older and reflected on the profound absence of my father, I found the courage to share my heart's journey with you. This episode is a raw and intimate exploration of grief, self-reflection, and the art of embracing the present moment. 

Elizabeth Camargo Garcia, your host and friend, unpacks the complexities of emotional wellness for moms over 40, threading personal experiences with professional insights. 

I delve into the power of music and art as emotional conduits, and how we can harness them to navigate our individual paths through sadness and joy.

Join me, a psychotherapist and mother of spirited twins, as we navigate the delicate balance of self-care and parenting. This solo conversation is an invitation to fellow moms to take stock of life's triumphs and tribulations, to construct a 'bucket list' that celebrates your age with aspirations both modest and grand. You won't find any guests here this week, but what you will find is a heartfelt guide brimming with strategies to infuse your days with positivity, and an encouragement to map out your dreams, big or small, as we stride forward together.

Are you in need of support navigating motherhood through all the highs and the lows? Is it impacting your ability to bond with our children? Then make sure to join our Mommy and Me Book Club today and start building wonderful and supportive connections with likeminded moms. Join today!

Ready to build your very own self-care ritual? Sign-up to receive my Self-Care Ritual Checklist that helped me keep my sanity during the toughest moments of motherhood. Grab your copy now!

Music Credits: Flybird Audio Jazz by Jamendo Music

Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is strictly for educational purposes. Do not rely on this information as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult with your medical provider before engaging in any physical activity that may be contraindicated to your health. If you need medical advice, research and consult with a medical professional in your area.

Speaker 1:

Are you craving a simple moment of your time to get some rest and relaxation? If you could just have five minutes to breathe, it would all feel better. My fellow mom, this is what you'll get when you sign up for my weekly newsletter that drops every Monday morning. Five minutes is all it takes. Get on over to the link in the show notes and sign up today. Hello, and thank you for tuning in today to the self care party for moms With me, your host, elizabeth Camargo Garcia, psychotherapist by background and, most importantly, mom to seven year old twins that keep me needing to refill my cup with energy every single day. Here you will find self care and wellness tips, nuggets of wisdom, support, education and peaceful parenting tools for moms over 40 because, yes, we have unique needs. I hope to bring you everything that took me from surviving to thriving on this motherhood journey as a reminder. Yes, I am a psychotherapist. However, the information provided on this podcast is strictly for educational purposes. Do not rely on this information as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your medical provider before engaging in any physical activity that may be contraindicated to your health. If you need medical advice, research and consult with the medical provider in your area. Now let's get this party started with this week's episode.

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This past month, I took some time away to reflect, as I had a birthday, and ever since my father died, my birthdays just hit a little different. Every moment being present is so much more valuable for me than the one that came before that moment. I took time to nurture myself and work through a reflection of my life as it stands as far. Here is how it went. I don't cry very easily, partly because I grew up hearing messaging around, not crying and being tough, which equaled strength. I usually end the one that stands as a pillar of strength for many, and maybe that's what led me to become a therapist. However, it is not only that that makes me not cry. I am also a very peaceful person and very in tune with my spirituality and relationship to God. My belief in faith allows me to feel a sense of peace and acceptance towards things such as my dad's passing. However, it doesn't take away from the feeling of sadness, and from time to time, especially on my birthday and on other special occasions, it is difficult because that's the one phone call I won't be receiving anymore, the one from my father. I often feel cold in not knowing how to express my sadness and a bit of a discomfort, and through therapy, I learned to use music and the arts to allow me to free myself of these emotions. There's nothing wrong in how we all experience emotions and it's all in how you want to experience them, how you feel comfortable and as long as you don't hold it all in. I listened to you two and a few of their greatest hits, as this allowed me to loosen up and feel the feelings and cry. So, my fellow mom, if this is something that you experience, or something similar on your birthday, anytime that it rolls around, allow yourself the feelings and be able to recognize when it is necessary to allow your feelings to flow out of your body and find the ways that will help you feel. We are all built different and we can't force something that doesn't come naturally.

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Second thing I did was to take inventory on this last year that I've lived. What were the highlights or the questions I had for myself? And, if you want to do something similar, what were the highlights of your life, the good times and what you learned? Anything you would like to do differently? How you would want to show up, moving forward. Creating a map of your last year or your entire life thus far can help with that, expressing gratitude and congratulating yourself for the good stuff. How can you repeat more of the good stuff in the coming year?

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Lastly, after the reflection on how I experienced feelings and the inventory of my life, I created a bucket list of sorts, one in which I listed all the things I would like to accomplish in the next year. And if you want to do something like this, I've heard of different ways to make it fun. My hairstylist had a great recommendation of doing things, for example, based on the age that you will be. So, for example, if you're going to be turning 40, you make a list of 40 things, and they can be as simple as trying a different flavored ice cream. I even got my children into doing this, and we look forward to creating our bucket list on our birthdays every year.

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This is not a bucket list to be based on goals, but more about doing fun things. After all, we are here to enjoy the party with our children, the things that make us happy, the little things and the things that bring us peace. So there you have it, my fellow mom. If your birthday is yet to come. Plan on gifting yourself the gift of grace and allowing yourself to embrace with open arms a new year, but also allow yourself to feel all the emotions that make you who you are in this moment in time.

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Now, if your birthday has already passed this year, you can still do this reflection exercise. I would love to hear any learning lessons, so please do share by emailing me your nuggets of wisdom to the email in the show notes. Until next week, don't forget to be your most beautiful mom's self. Looking for more self-care tips? Make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter, where you will receive one easy self-care tip every Monday that is easy to weave into your busy life. Head on over to the link in the show notes and sign up today. Also, I would love and appreciate your reviews, so please don't forget to review this episode and never miss one. Make sure you subscribe to listen and by hitting the plus, sign or add button on your favorite podcast station.