Gloria, a mother of two, came to see me because she had been cranky and “down” too many days in a row. What parent hasn’t gone through periods like this?

As she was a writer I asked her to jot down the following in her journal once each day. (She decided before bed was the best time for her):

1. Two successes she had experienced in her life – ones from a long time ago were OK.

2. 3 good things from her day – (even little things – like the sun was shining – were OK to record)

3. At least one thing she loved about each of her children

4. One action she could take to get in a better mood the next day. (As we talked she realized that listening to a particular piece of classical music always made her happy. She decided to have it ready to play when needed).

Finding ways to to balance legitimate reactions to daily pressures with confidence building and a bit of joy can make the considerable challenges we all face easier to resolve.