I asked my online community what topic I should tackle for the September issue and the response was, overwhelmingly, ‘being overwhelmed’!

This is something I think all parents, and indeed most kids, struggle with in one form or another. From parental guilt at never doing enough, being enough or giving enough, right through to children being overwhelmed at managing the complex world we live in, social anxiety, endless projects, homework, hobbies and family ‘situations’, all whilst growing and changing so quickly they hardly know themselves from one day to the next.

So what one thing can I offer you today to help you ease whichever form you may be experiencing?

My answer is ‘completion’. The art of finishing, of finalising, of creating a firm ending to something, no matter what, is one sure-fire way to limit, if not negate, this feeling completely. But how do you go about harnessing this magical mojo? By simply committing to it and not stopping until it is done.

Decide what ’finished’ looks like

Decide what ‘finished’ looks like. We become overwhelmed when we live in a sense of the never ending; never ending laundry, never ending washing up, never ending arguments about whose turn it is to sit in the front seat. Anything which happens on repeat and you feel powerless to change builds up this sense of helplessness.

Set achievable targets and share them. For example:

✓ If I do the dishes after breakfast, I have completed.

✓ If I load the washing machine to run while I am at work, I have completed.

Bring the family into it too. By introducing my old favourite, The Family Meeting, you can get everyone on the same page. For example:

✓ I will wash and dry, then sort into piles. You can then put away your own laundry.

✓ I will shop for groceries, we can share cooking, washing up and clearing the kitchen, and the kids can tidy the lounge before bed.

Whatever works for your family, be creative and make it fun! If everyone feels the same sense of achievement for completing agreed tasks, you will see increased harmony within the home, and an increased sense of wellbeing overall.

Creating little routines and encouraging everyone to notice what is going on around them can involve everyone in achieving the state of ‘completion’. The next step is to celebrate and reward all successful completions. Plan a day where mealtimes, snack times, coffee breaks, playtime, etc. are all rewards and celebrations of the completion already achieved.

Create routines where ‘completion’ is the focus

By creating routines where ‘completion’ is the focus, life becomes simpler and a little less stressful. For example:

✓ A piece of homework before and after dinner, rather than dinner followed by all the homework.

✓ A few jobs around the house, then a coffee break and a magazine rather than working non-stop all day and neglecting yourself until you feel frazzled and exhausted.

Now turn your attention to yourself. How can you feel complete, that your day is done and it is time to chill out? Relaxing in a hot bath perhaps, or maybe some meditation? Watching your favourite series on Netflix? Whatever ‘completion’ looks like to you, sit back and enjoy it, you earned it!