Mom and daughter Ria were very excited. The next day the little six-year-old would have her children’s ballet performance. Ria and her class had trained for several weeks for this performance. Ria is a very lively intelligent girl. She loves her kindergarten class and is a great student. But more than anything else she looks forward to her ballet class. Therefore, this children’s performance was anticipated with great expectation for many weeks.
 
So excited, how could Ria go to sleep?
The evening before the great day time came to go to bed. Mom talked with Ria and told her how important a good night sleep would be for her. Without that sleep she could not be at her best the next day. Ria told her mom she knew that and she would sleep extra well.
 
Relaxing music and talk therapy.
But sleep would not come! Mom quietly talked to her again to help her settle down. Then she put on some quiet sleeping music which always worked before. Still little Ria just could not fall asleep. Mom talked some more to her. She told her how the restful night would help her with her performance. They talked some more; you could call it “talk therapy”. To no avail.
 
Under stress we forget.
Now this mom had been to several SciStress workshops. She had used the techniques frequently. She was an expert. She had taught the techniques to her daughter and they had used them together many times. This evening not getting Ria to sleep had created a little bit of a stressful situation for them both. One of the most typical stress reactions is that we forget and we don’t easily see alternatives for action. Why does that happen? The reason is that in stress mode our autonomic nervous system immediately pulls our blood from our thinking brain. There is less oxygen available to think, remember, and make good decisions. This is very natural yet also very unfortunate. It is a very good reason to use our fast-working and effective stress reduction method.
 
Sound sleep for a great performance.
Becoming a little bit worried about Ria not sleeping, mom finally remembered SciStress tapping techniques. And she started gently using them on little Ria who was still quite hyped up. Ria immediately began to relax. Her body melted into bed and pillows. Her eyelids slowly dropped. Her face had a quiet smile. In less than five minutes the little girl was fast asleep. The next day, full of energy Ria did a great job performing at the children’s ballet.
 
By the way, Judy and I both use the technique whenever we have trouble sleeping. It works perfectly for adults too. Many of our clients confirm this. The stress hormone cortisol stays in the blood stream longer. Therefore, it is often the reason we can’t get to sleep or wake up frequently. Reducing the stress response in our brain quickly calms the nerves and no more need to produce cortisol.
 
Sleep better and live longer!

Warm regards,                    Fred & Judy
 
Fred George Sauer, MS, MS Eng, Chief Stress Coach, Performance & Productivity Specialist
Judith Lynch-Sauer, PhD, RN, Scientific Advisor, Clinical Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
 
PS: Don’t forget to keep up a daily routine of managing stress. That too helps you to better health. Many of you have my book, “The Girl Who Couldn’t Laugh, the Neuroscience of Stress Management”.
 
PPS: Get it out now and check Appendix 2 for quick help with stress. Reread the second part of the book for the full technique and a deeper understanding.

What a strange thought!
How can a wonderful day which honors mom be stressy?
​Why would feelings of guilt intrude on such happiness?
 
Because being a mother can bring a lot of stress with it. And being a daughter or a son, we do not always fully appreciate the pressures mom experiences. For one thing, mom usually does most of the jobs around the house. That is true even if she has a full-time job like many of you moms have.
 
Therefore, it is easy to feel guilty for not looking after the children enough, not spending enough time with the family, not having the home perfectly organized and clean.
 
Or mom experiences stress about the children in their teens becoming independent, wanting to be free, and pushing all kinds of limits to the nth degree. Or the children being far away and worrying about their well-being.
 
My own mom, I am certain, resides in Heaven since the year 2000. I can only fully appreciate her skill, courage, perseverance and love since I began my work with stress 5 years later. Mom was born in the middle of World War I. She lived through the 1920s which were much worse in Germany than e.g. the Great Depression in the USA, and then the Nazi era and World War II. She lost her 2nd son, my little brother, at the end of the war. She raised me, then an only child, as a single working mother. She used her wits to get jobs as her family thought the girl didn’t need to go to college.
 
Now I hope your mom had it a bit easier and grew up in peace. Still it is never easy to carry and raise children, even if they bring you lots of joy. If you are a mother you know.
 
So this Mother’s Day make it easy and sweet for mom! If you are mom, make sure to tell your family clearly what you want and what you would appreciate. Make sure there is good communication. And there can be tension and misunderstanding between mothers and the kids. That is more common than we think and often quite natural. Therefore, exercise kindness and forgiveness for this special day and all the time to come. Your life and mom’s will be easier and happier for it.
 
Plan this important day well and it can be a joyful stress free experience for mom and family. And practice gratitude which is a wonderful experience for those who give it and those receiving it.
 
Wishing you and yours a wonderful and stress free Mother’s Day.
 
Your, being so very grateful for his mother, stress analyst,

Fred George Sauer