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Last Mom Brain holiday tip: Take care of yourself! I filmed this last week, before everything with COVID started going really haywire (again). But I think the advice is even more important now, as moms are in overdrive—there’s the the holidays, kids being home because of COVID, and mounting anxiety over, well, everything. During the holiday break, it’s critical that…
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As much as we often look forward to holiday breaks, they can be *very* anxiety-provoking for moms of young kids, who often find themselves staring down long, cold days without any schedule or plans. It can help to set a (loose and easily adjustable) schedule for each day, even if the schedule looks something like: Wake up, eat breakfast, take…
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What if I can’t find my kid that toy they desperately want? What if I run out of time to turn my house into a Winter Wonderland? What if I can’t manage to get my holiday cards sent out? These types of worries often send my mom patients into a holiday anxiety tailspin. In response, I ask them to consider…
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Overwhelmed this holiday season? Try what we call graded task assignment in CBT, which means breaking big tasks down into smaller steps. Make a list of the things you need to get done. This includes gift shopping, house cleaning, food prep, packing for travel, etc. Break the list down into several discrete, manageable steps, and assign yourself (and your family…
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Like so many other families, my family recently experienced a COVID scare: We were exposed to someone who was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID. While the person we were exposed to was awaiting the results of their COVID test, we felt compelled to quarantine. We didn’t want to send the kids to school or soccer or anywhere…
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Emma, mom to a 1 and 3 year-old, was a proud member of what she called “The Sleep Police.” Her kids were on a strict sleeping/napping schedule that she would move mountains to maintain. By her own admission, Emma was rigid with her children’s schedules, believing that if she wasn’t, chaos would ensue. Emma’s holiday plans always involved staying over…
Mom Brain Book
Proven Strategies to Fight the Anxiety, Guilt, and Overwhelming Emotions of Motherhood—and Relax into Your New Self
About Me
I’m Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco, Ph.D., aka DrCBTMom. DrCBTMom.com combines the expert advice of a self-help book with the warmth and readability of a mommy blog.
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