The Mom Flow: The Simple (Mostly Free!) Ways I Make Life Feel Good

Welcome to The Mom Flow, where I share things that are on my mind in the hopes of helping you connect to your Mom Flow. Thanks for being here! —Erin Sousa

Oof this week was a heavy one. We’re leaning heavy in that dopamine menu AMIRIGHT? Honestly, imma need something a little stronger, who’s with me. Between the TikTok ban, the inauguration, there’s something unsettling in the air.

Ahem, before I keep going, I just want to say, publicly with my whole chest that I support LGBTQ2S+ rights and I want you to know YOU BELONG. Transphobia is real and it’s not ok. I also want to say outright that racism is not acceptable. I’ve felt disheartened to see what’s happening publicly and how quiet the response has been. If you’re with me on IG, you know I like to share my opinions, so feel free to join me there, too.

Alright, let’s get into today’s topic.

When so many things are happening at once it can actually feel really crushing. Regardless of what the world is like now, there are things that happen in our personal lives that can really take us down. I swear, before I know it, even returning a text message can feel overwehelming… like what is that about?!

When I think back on 5 years ago when I was going through my fertility journey, it was the darkest moment of my life and I do feel like a very different person now. Being a mom definitely changes you, but you also learn and grow a lot in 5 years. I would say the biggest lesson I’ve learned in that 5 years is the importance of managing one’s emotions in a healthy way. Do I always do this? Oh hell no. But, there are simple things I turn to that help my life feel good when I’m letting my emotions get the best of me (basically, daily if I’m honest!).

Quick thrills

Sometimes I feel like I need more things in order to make things feel better. Like, whatever it is, buying a new something is gonna make life easier. I’ve done it. This is a confession, not a recommendation lol Gosh, if we are talking about a cheap thrill dopamine boost, sometimes it works (as does a drive thru McDonald’s sundae I said what I said and I did what I did), but it’s so fleeting.

Hey, sometimes we are just surviving and no guilt!

Putting things in order

Something I’ve learned about myself if that I am seeking calm, order and just like a feeling of organization when things out of my control are affecting me. I swear cleaning out a drawer, ticking off a task I’ve been putting off (shall we use the example of calling the city or writing a govt cheque) and it feels productive and like I’m channeling myself into something healthy. I love working on something in my business like a new offering or template that I’ve been avoiding. Feels amazing.

Accomplishement

Succeeding at something always helps me – I love a quick win, but a meaningful work win like booking a fabulous new client, new creator campaign, or working on a Mom Flow event is just heart-filling for me. The industry is challenging right now so these mean a little extra to me these days.

Space to think

Space to process and think about your feelings is so important and I defo don’t allow myself to do this enough. It’s key to a strong capacity because those feelings always go somewhere, it’s best to work through them. Combined with doing something that calms you – a drive? A long shower? It hits and even gets my creativity flowing again. last night I was driving to my in-laws to pick up Lola (while eating my sundae) and was doing just this… and I ended up having the absolute best business idea because I was giving myself the time.

Podcasts

A podcast and an activity always gets me into a good headspace – sometimes I’ll turn on The NYT Daily Podcast first thing in the morning to hop in the shower, and it motivates me to get up and get started. It helps me feel productive because I feel like I’m learning something, or even with a pop culture podcast (Juicy Scoop is my go to). Much like one of my end of the day shows (can we talk about RHOSLC???), it just let’s me chill a bit.

️Voice notes

I love sending and receiving voice notes! I work alone, so it maybe makes me feel less lonely? In lieu of a phone call (guys, what is it about a phone call that just gives me the ick now? I don’t like talking on the phone but I wasn’t always this way – am I alone?). If you’re a texter, try doing voicenotes, or as my friends and I call them, podcast episodes bc they can get longgggg.

Making a play date happen

I love seeing Lola connect with other kids, and feeling a sense of community is so important to making life feel good. Especially since she will be an only child, I like filling up her social life. It’s such a bonus when you also enjoy the mom so you can chat, commiserate and trade off hosting. My hack is to meet up for an activity like Science World (we have that in Vancouver), bowling, skating, or even a movie.

There’s more! Keep reading this week’s edition of The Mom Flow by Erin Sousa; subscribe for free to receive new posts and support her work, here!