A New Year, New Hope!

Yet another year has come and gone and I was not sorry to see 2013 go by any means. As I enter 2014, I bring with me a renewed sense of determination, some Zen badass-ness and, as always, HOPE. Our journey has taken 7+ years and, while my son is considered recovered, there is still plenty to do. There is always biomed “fine tuning,” tweaking (no, not twerking, that was so last year) and just kicking those remaining barriers out of my son’s way!!

But man, anyone else besides me just tired? Can you say adrenal fatigue? We are last to take care of ourselves. Between family, work, extra activities, special diet shopping and prep, mentoring, blogging and juggling the costs of everything, many days I feel like one of the walking dead. What is up with that?! Maybe on MY list of resolutions should be more self care. Really, who has time for that shiz?? But maybe we need to make that time. That whole “put the oxygen mask on yourself first” thing keeps playing in my head.

http://thevedacenter.com/meditate/

We know the prevalence of autoimmunity in our community. I kinda, sorta wonder when it will be my own test results staring me in the face that motivates me. Maybe it doesn’t have to get to that point. One thing that was awesome about last year was, thanks to one of my best friends, I started Vedic Meditation. I credit it for my sanity and not being in jail on an assault charge of some kind. No, seriously, if you knew how 2013 went down you would understand. While my practice has dwindled to once per day, that 20 minutes at the start of my day is the best grasp on my sanity I have had in a long time. Even if you don’t know of a Vedic Meditation practitioner near you, any form of meditation is great. There are so many research studies to support the health benefits, including on gene expression!

Another thing I am working on this year, and this is a biggie for me, is forgiveness and turning the other cheek, literally. Like I said, 2013 sucked, and, as a result of my own emotions, I had a health issue to deal with. It brought me to the place of understanding the impact of negative emotions on my body (I even have a badass scar to show for it!). Now, I can’t be having that! No sense letting the haters get the best of me. And while my normal motto is the exact opposite of turning the other cheek, I am coming to understand the wisdom in that. There was a meme that a long-time friend posted on my wall which went a little something like “Oh, I’m a pacifist alright. I’m about to pass a fist across your face.” Yeah, that summed it up pretty well. Letting go is hard but worth it in the end.

The bottom line is listen to your body. Support yourself along with your child(ren) and family. Take that lunch break with your bestie, get a massage. Hell, just hide in the closet for a few while the kids are playing. I know mamas, I get it. I remember the years in the trenches, especially when my little people were littler. It is chaos; every man for themselves. But I will say it does get easier. And massages make GREAT birthday, anniversary, Christmas presents from spouses, best friends. Hell, I don’t care if your family has to take up a collection. Some “me time” is in order and rarely ever gotten. I know child care can be a you-know-what. A GREAT gift would be a traveling masseuse who comes to your house after the kids have gone to bed, jus’ sayin’. So support system peeps, please take note!

Other tips on sanity savers are journals, manifestation/vision boards, etc. They give you a creative outlet and some time to focus on the GOOD you want to see in your life. And it doesn’t have to be anything you even show anyone else. But, manifestation is powerful and the key is to focus on the positive. And that goes for people too. Too much “woe is me” brings some bad juju. Keep the toxic people at bay; weed out the people in your life who want to tell you all the stuff you can’t do, ESPECIALLY ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S AUTISM RECOVERY! Kick them to the curb and surround yourself with people who have done it, are doing it or KNOW they will get their child there someday.

Let’s rock 2014, not just for our kiddos, not just for our jobs, spouses, family, but for US too. Namaste, now go kick some autism a$$!

~ Shawty

I am a proud mother of 3, 2 born to me and one I was lucky enough to get as a bonus gift from marriage. My son is recovered from autism thanks to some serious team work with the tireless help and support of my husband. As a result of my journey, I also work full time in the autism world helping others in a way I never dreamed possible. I also mentor anyone I can along the way. I am obsessed with meditation, gardening, sustainability, growing as much food as we can and just trying to keep up with our goats (3), chickens (44), cats (2) and dog (1). I’m wonder woman with a generous helping of attitude with a dash of ghetto fabulous! Don’t let the innocent smile fool ya.’