Motherhood Can Heal You… With the Right Perspective

Suzanne and Jungian analyst Lisa Marchaino discuss Jungian psychology and how its ideas about motherhood can prepare us for an easier ride as moms. I begin today’s show by sharing an essay I wrote, What Needs to Change in Your Life Right Now? Here I invite you to consider a whole new approach to your life as spring begins, the pandemic wanes, and we—hopefully—move forward. Take a moment with a journal to relax, get grounded and return to you with the following questions. Answer honestly and prepare to surprise yourself. It’s a good way to get back to YOU. What have you been hanging on to that you need to let go of? Who or what has been dragging you down or weighing heavy on your mind? Who needs your apology? What have you been tolerating? Where could you be more accepting? Where have you gotten stuck in the last year? What have you been craving or longing for? What have you been hard on yourself about? Do you need to forgive yourself? What would make your life wonderful? What’s missing in your life—even if you don’t know how to manifest it yet? What inspires you, excites you, lights you up? Who or what has added immeasurably to your life? Whom do you need to thank and appreciate? What’s been unexpectedly fun? Who would you like to be in the coming year? Where could you make some clear requests? What will you do just for you? Motherhood is rewarding, but also very demanding. How do we avoid losing contact with ourselves when we are so busy being a mom? How do we deal with the anxiety, frustrations, stress and genuinely hard moments of motherhood? Jungian analyst Lisa Marchiano helps us understand how a Jungian perspective can really heal our mothering upsets—and give us a long view that will make us far better able to handle the tough stuff. Here are some of the cool things I learned from Lisa: How a Jungian perspective helped her get through the toddler years What a Jungian point of view is and why it matters How to get a greater sense of purpose in your life Why it’s critical to own your shadow side as a mother –or non-mom What fairy tales have to do with your self-care A great fable about the value of overwhelm and limitations in motherhood How to deal with angry, resentful teenagers May this episode heal the hurting places within. LINKS Suzanne’s Essay, What Needs to Change in Your Life Right Now? https://suzannefalter.com/self-care/what-needs-to-change-in-your-life-right-now/ Lisa’s book, Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself Lisa’s podcast, This Jungian Life https://thisjungianlife.com/podcast/   BIO Lisa Marchiano, LCSW is a writer and Jungian analyst in private practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is the cohost and creator of the popular podcast This Jungian Life. She teaches at the C.G. Jung Institute of Philadelphia, and lectures widely on Jungian topics. Her writings have appeared in Quillette, The Journal of Analytical Psychology, and Psychological Perspectives, among other publications. She is the author of the book Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself published by Sounds True. You can find her on Twitter at @LisaMarchiano.