" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="960" height="355" alt="PicMonkey Collage 85" />" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="960" height="355" alt="PicMonkey Collage 85" />" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="960" height="355" alt="PicMonkey Collage 85" />" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="960" height="355" alt="PicMonkey Collage 85" />" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="960" height="355" alt="PicMonkey Collage 85" />" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" width="960" height="355" alt="PicMonkey Collage 85" />" width="500" height="185" alt="PicMonkey Collage" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />
" />" width="500" height="214" alt="ccb" />" />I used to worry a lot.
It happened mostly at night, when I was still.
I was the most fretful when Chuck was away.
And I didn't just worry about Chuck's well being.
I worried about everyone.
Myself included.
I tortured myself with "what if" thoughts.
My thoughts were crippling me.
At the peak of my worrying period,
Pitterpat decided she was going to give me a lot of grief around bedtime.
I'd read stories, sing songs, and lay her down.
Hours later she'd still be awake. HOURS.
And it wasn't just that she was awake. It was that she was awake and hollering "MAMA".
She was having "bad thoughts", needing to pee, needing water, or, most crippling of all,asking those deep questions.
You know those questions that deal in mortality?
Questions I did not need to be answering in my fretful mental state.
I was at a loss.
Alone time was scarce the moments I did have were plagued with MORE worry.
I was real angry about it all too.
The solution was out of reach for my exhausted brain.
I was over thinking it.
Thankfully my Mom suggested a reward chart.
So simple, yet SO helpful.
So here's what we came up with.
It's nothing fancy; it won't make it to pinterest, but it works for us.
Usually.
Pitterpat helped me make it. She was pumped.
The rules are:
Don't give me any trouble at bedtime.
Close your eyes, be still, and breathe.
If you do these things, come morning you will get a sticker.
When you earn 10 stickers you will get a reward.
I pay in stuffed animals.
I will allow for for real nightmares but not continual "bad thoughts" since I believe we should learn from a very young age that we are in charge of our own thoughts.
Which is the lesson in this whole blog for Mama.......
that came together for me just now.
Wow.
I've been working on my "bad thoughts" and have been feeling better.
I've been working on my "bad thoughts" and have been feeling better.
It helps that Chuck is home, though, thanks to a perfectly timed sermon, a lot of prayer, and a Bible verse, I was much improved before he arrived. It is a continual process
and one that I hope will get easier with time.
and one that I hope will get easier with time.
Pitterpat agrees.
Psalm 37:8
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret--it only causes harm.
(It's pretty straight forward)
I like that!!
ReplyDeletelay all your worries at the foot of the cross and let God handle them all, his shoulders are much broader than ours :)
Aww this is great. Thanks for the credit.
ReplyDeleteLove this! So glad you are feeling better these days! Great advice!
ReplyDeleteGreat post... and one I needed to hear myself today. Thank you Hayley!
ReplyDeleteOh Hayley. Thank you. I say that because I truly needed this post. I needed to hear (and see) what you had to write. You are correct. We are in charge of our own thoughts, and what a great lesson to teach your daughter! I'm a worry wart by nature. (and so was my momma...and my nana....and my great aunt....you get the picture) I've been worrying a ton lately too, and I need to put an end to that. This entry really helped me out.
ReplyDeleteI love your chart for Charley! Not only does it keep track of her progress, it helps her set her own goals. Well done to both you and Grandma!
Now these are the kind of comments that make me want to keep blogging! Thanks you guys!
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Very good start. I think we Mabreys are a little predisposed to be worriers, but there's a lot more control we can gain over these situations by continually giving it up to God. It's a daily (even a minutely) process, and it's not always easy, but "Not my will, but Thine" can be a truly freeing experience if spoken in honesty.
ReplyDelete