Hello & Welcome to the Blog!

I haven’t blogged since college but I remember it being a fun time so let’s have some fun here! My name is Carmelita Aufdemberge, stress therapist and business psychologist. I am passionate about helping you develop the skills you must have to manage stress in your life. This blog will feature relevant topics that most people talk to me about and my general suggestions and personal experiences with the topic.

Disclaimer: Although I am a licensed counselor this blog should not replace mental health services and is not healthcare advice. Tips are generalized and should be adjusted to meet your specific situation. Consult with a mental health professional for mental health services.

With that said, this week I am focusing on spring! Because winters in Wisconsin can be so dreary, I sometimes experience a lack of motivation and energy - especially when we go weeks without sunshine. So, I maximize the serotonin boost that I experience during the spring and summer months by working on the projects that I’ve put off during the winter.

My major project this spring is getting ready for the arrival of my 2nd child. We kept everything from when my daughter was born so we don’t need much but we will need many things, especially since I plan to mostly pump my breast milk as I did with my daughter. If you’re an expecting momma and you’re thinking of mostly pumping instead of nursing, view my video on exclusive pumping essentials.

Alright, let’s get into these tips!

Tip 1:

Get outside.

Aside from my personal experience of just feeling better when I’ve been outside, over the years I have come across many studies that show that we crave nature. We keep animals in our homes, have real or artificial plants, have pictures or paintings of nature, and some of us even listen to nature sounds to fall asleep. Being in the presence of plants, nature, and sunlight can boost our moods and make us more active/productive (as long as we don’t overdo it and get too much sun. In that case the opposite is true)!

Tip 2:

Write a list & de-clutter your brain:

Aside from breastfeeding gadgets, I also need a double stroller, more car seats, clothes for our baby boy, and the list goes on. I started to feel overwhelmed thinking of all the things we need. When I get overwhelmed I like to write it out so the first thing I did was just that - I wrote a list of the things I needed. I like the physical act of writing a list with paper and pen/pencil or on a whiteboard because I’ve found that it helps me remember & engrain the information in my brain. But, if I feel like I need to write a quick list or that I’ll be editing the list a lot over the next few day or weeks, I will use the notes app on my phone.

Tip 3:

Brainstorm solutions & Write down what you need.

Looking at what you wrote, brainstorm some solutions or some ways to get it all done. You should also write down tools, resources, money, etc. that you need in order to get it all done.

I found the items I need online and wrote down the prices for those items. I also thought of cheap ways to get some of the things I needed.
On apps like Mercari people sell their used items or items that are new that they didn’t use. I’ve stopped buying my daughter new clothes since she’s a toddler and she’s constantly growing. I just bought her 98 pieces of clothing for about a dollar a piece! Now, she’s set for the year!

Tip 4:

Break things down into reasonable steps.

When will you tackle each task? How long will it take, what obstacles might get in the way and what can you do to overcome those obstacles?

A simple way to break it down is to use the SMART goal method. SMART goals stands for Specific (writing a specific goal), Measurable (how will you know it got done & how long will it take), Achievable (can you get it done), Reasonable (is it small enough to achieve but not too easy/small), Time-based (what date will you be finished by).

An example of a bad goal is:

I will buy some baby items in March.

An example of a good SMART goal is

“I will spend $20 a week on baby items for the month of March to help me get 4 new/used items that I need for the new baby.”

-I actually did this by the way! I calculated how much everything would cost and set a goal to buy different things each week leading up to my due date, making sure that I don’t spend over my weekly budget for these items.

Simply put, things that seem like stressful or large tasks can be broken down into reasonable action steps. And if you misstep, just adjust your action steps. To get a free download of my template for how to do this, sign up for my newsletter.

So - what projects did you put off? Use my strategy above and let me know how it works for you!

Talk to you soon!

-Carmelita