What to do when you are feeling like you've lost your sparkle, are angry or resentful.

The worst thing you can do is feel bad about the fact that you are struggling with negative emotions.

So first of all, please know that your feelings are valid and that it is OK to not feel OK.

Don't be unkind to yourself when you are already struggling by piling on guilt or allowing your inner mean mama to kick you when you're already down!

Motherhood is a lot!

We are our children's whole world and they need a lot from us. So it's unsurprising that we don't find it easy or love every minute of every day.

Your emotions, positive and negative, are natural expressions of what is going on in your outer world.

So it's important to acknowledge them and welcome them as messages.

Taking time to pause and reflect on your emotions is so powerful.

Negative emotions may be suppressed by people who were told off for being angry or frustrated when they were young. You may have been sent to your room and told to come back when you're feeling better rather than be given sympathy and asked what's wrong.

You may not have been encouraged to think about why you feel how you do. But it's important to think about what is causing these negative emotions, especially as a parent. Because we have to be able to regulate ourselves in order to be able to help and soothe our children.

So if you have been feeling down, and out of sorts try sitting with your emotions and think about what's causing them and how you can go about feeling better.

Have a think about what you want and need to feel better.

This can be uncomfortable for lots of people. We've not been encouraged to voice our opinions, state our boundaries, dream about what we want in life or to ask for help.

But by working out what we need and how to get it is the way to joy, happiness and finding the calm and patience we need to parent our children.

In the Mama Cocoon this month we spent time thinking and chatting about what we can do to acknowledge, accept and honour our feelings.

We shared all the things we do, and would like to do, in order to lift our spirits and feel more positive emotions so that we can feel our best selves and parent our children in the way we like to.

I shared this quote by Gabby Bernstein:

"I used to live in the darkness with flashes of light.

Now I live in the light, with flashes of darkness."

When we tend to ourselves we definitely see more light.

What do you need to do so you can see and feel more light in your day?

Click here to find out more if you'd like to join the conversation in the Mama Cocoon.

There's currently a Christmas offer on. So you can join us for 6 months for only £60.

We'd love to see you there!

Wishing you all the best,

Rebecca