The Brave Girl Blog Navigating Friendship Challenges and Confidence

Have you ever felt not yourself? 

You might feel like something is a bit off. You might have a hard time connecting to your thoughts and your feelings. You might be feeling stronger emotions and not fully understanding why. 

The other week I did not feel like myself at all. I felt very disconnected, stressed, overwhelmed, and emotional. It was tough, and I did shed some tears. Fortunately, I am feeling better as I write this blog post thanks to the help from some friends and my steps to help get myself back on track and feeling more like me. 

I know I am not alone in feeling overwhelmed, and I can't imagine the stress level that you may be experiencing in school. It is a lot to manage, and if you were home all last year, you might feel like a rubber band being stretched to the breaking point. 

Here are the Ten Tips to Help When You Are Not Feeling Like Yourself. 

Tip 1 

Start with a brain dump. 

Take a sheet of...

Hi Brave Girls,

Today we are doing a meditation based on Thich Nhat Hanh’s, A Handful of Quiet.

You will need 4 pebbles.

The first pebble is your flower. It is a reminder of being fresh and open. It also reminds us to see the beauty and possibilities around us.

The second pebble represents your mountain. The mountain pebble reminds us that we all are solid and calm inside. This helps our friends see us as reliable. It reminds us that we can depend on ourselves.

The third pebble represents calm water. When you look at the lake's calm surface, you can see the reflection of the clouds, the sky, and the mountains. Calm water helps reflect what is truly there. This pebble reminds us to find our calm.

The fourth pebble represents space and freedom. Space is freedom, and freedom is the foundation for true happiness.

Holding these pebbles while meditating can help you stay in the present moment. I love feeling the different textures of my pebbles and the cool touch!

...

Hi Brave Friends,

As part of the Inner Spring Cleaning, I will be sharing weekly meditations. 

This week we start with a Loving Kindness Meditation to help inspire compassion for yourself, family, friends, and even those people that bring up negative emotions in you.

There is a free Love and Kindness Journaling Page that is included in The Inner Spring Cleaning Mental Health Cleanse Journal that you can download. Do this quick activity after your meditation!  This will really help you deepen your experience.

Meditating has been the one thing that has truly made a difference in how I feel and how I react to everyday stressors in my life. 

I would love to hear your thoughts after doing this practice. Please leave a comment below.

I have a poster that you can print out and keep by your workspace so that you can do this practice anytime.

 Wishing you a wonderful day!

Love,
Laura 

Your Mental Wellness is just as important as your Physical Wellness.

Several years ago, I embarked on a journey with my Brave Friends using the Inner Spring Cleaning Journal. It was a meaningful experience that helped us cultivate mindfulness and self-compassion. Now, I'm excited to share how you can do the same on your own, especially with your daughter.

The journal includes a Loving Kindness Meditation to inspire compassion for yourself, your loved ones, and even those who challenge you. After meditating, you can use the free journaling page to deepen your reflections and insights.

Meditation played a significant role in transforming how I handle stress and navigate life’s challenges, and I believe it can do the same for you. The journal also features 11 pages of engaging activities, along with a special section on confronting the inner critic—a powerful tool for personal growth.

This journey was a beautiful way to connect and grow, and I hope it brings you and your...

 When Your Daughter is Pushed Out of Her Friend Group: 10 Tips to Help Parents.

When your daughter is pushed out of her friend group, the experience can be very hurtful for her. We may remember this from our own childhood, but when it’s your own daughter, it feels even more heartbreaking.

It could be triggering for you and bring up experiences you thought you had gotten past.

Physical pain and mental pain don’t differentiate when they’re being felt. This pain is real for your daughter. We are a species that wants to be connected, and being excluded is physical pain.

Brave Momma and Brave Girl you are not alone!

Here are tips to help!

1. Make home a safe place to share and express what’s going on. 

The most important thing is not to let your daughter see how upsetting this is for you. This means staying calm if you’re triggered and not threatening to call the parents of the other girls involved. This kind of reaction will probably shut your...

The New Year is here, and with that, there may be many mixed emotions, especially as January continues to roll on. 

I was excited for 2020 to end and to celebrate that year coming to a close. The possibility found in a blank new year is exciting and offers us a lot of hope.

I celebrated by practicing yoga on the beach of North Carolina and then running into the ocean. It was only fitting to end my year on a beach since I started last year on a beach in my meditation.

Last year I met my future self on a gorgeous beach- it wasn't the cold and windy one that I ended the year on, and that future, Laura, she sure didn't share anything about COVID! 

This year when I was recording my meditation, I kept visualizing a snowy night walk to the top of a mountain overlooking a beautiful valley.  

This mindfulness recording will help you release what no longer serves you, hold onto the lessons and gems that you need to keep, and then get specific on...

The Brave Girl Project was honored to partner with The Highlight Pro Skydiving Team to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a woman's right to vote.

On October 10, 2020, The Highlight Pro Skydiving Team, made up of women only, performed an aerial display over the Alice Paul Institute, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the life and work of the American suffragist. Read more about the skydiving jump. 

The Highlight Skydiving Team was formed when several team members researched and read about the women's suffrage movement. The Highlight Sky Diving Team wanted to honor the amazing women that made voting a reality for women. They have been doing demonstration jumps all across our country, honoring the amazing women that persevered and helped to pass the 19th Amendment.  

The Highlight Pro Skydiving Team members who jumped on Saturday were Melissa Lowe, Melanie Curtis, Sara Curtis, Amy Chmelecki, Kaz Sheekey, Keri Bell,  and Karen Lewis...

Hi Brave Friends,

Today I wanted to share a meditation that has inspired me and helped me on the days when I feel so overwhelmed.  This meditation is a poem written by Reverand Safire Rose that I first heard in a yoga class and then later on Insight Timer.  

I wanted to record my version so that I could hear my voice sharing these words to me as a reminder that, at times, we need to let go.  There are so many things going on in the world today, and I know I have felt very overwhelmed by it all.

I invite you to listen to this meditation and take some time to think of what you need to let go of. My favorite lines of the poem are, "She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the opinions swarming around her head."

What have you been holding onto that needs to be freed? What judgments or stories are you telling yourself over and over again in your thoughts? How would it feel to let those go? Journaling about this helps me, and I have created a...

Hi Brave Friends!

I am writing this to let you know that I am thinking of you all!

I am thinking of the parents that are trying to work from home and keep their kids busy and still learning.

I am thinking of you the person that is scared because if you aren't working there isn't a lot of money for all that you and your family need.

I am thinking of my sweet friends that aren't at school and missing their teachers and friends.

I am thinking of all those that are dealing with an illness and are scared of getting sick. I know how hard you are fighting to stay healthy.

I am thinking of all of you, and it makes my heart grow and ache all at the same time.

I want so badly for things to feel safe again and to regain a sense of security. When I step outside and feel the sun and hear the birds, I start to feel better.  When I walk down my sidewalk and wave and smile at my neighbors or the cars passing, I realize I am not alone. The gentle breeze and warm spring sun center me, and with...

Hi Brave Friends,

Is your daughter starting to get more concerned and anxious about the news of the Corona Virus?  Are you starting to feel more concerned and anxious yourself and having a hard time calming her worries and yours?

That totally makes sense especially when we hear the words Pandemic. 

I have several coaching clients that are dealing with worry and teenage anxiety about the virus. They have expressed concerns about themselves getting sick, and worried about a grandparent or parent getting sick since they have heard that older adults are impacted more by the virus. They are getting information in bits and pieces and it may not all be accurate.

If you have someone that is sensitive and does a lot of "What if..." worrying this can be hard for them and for you!

Dr. Lisa Damour shared some wonderful tips in an article published on March 11th in the New York Times entitled 5 Ways to Help Teens Manage Anxiety About The Corona Virus

Dr. Damour's 5 tips are:

1....