Trust Yourself Like It’s the Truth
Because it is
“It’s all about fate and destiny, and opening the right door at the right time, and having the guts to walk through it. It’s amazing how everything changes in the blink of an eye.”
– Author Danielle Steele
Last week I was writing about keeping my son home from school for a mental health day.
Today I’m home with my seventeen-year-old son with an unclear path for his education.
I’m ecstatic to have him home with me yet unsure of the next door we will be walking through together. I believe it will be the door to his counselor’s office by the end of the week.
I received an email late Sunday night explaining that a judge lifted the mandate on masks being worn in about 150 schools in the area. What?
My gut instinct went on high alert right away! Call it what you may, but I’m listening to my gut on this one.
I called him off of school on Monday and asked for a phone call from his principal.
I spoke to his principal, and we have worked out a plan for my son to stay home and request his homework from his teachers this week.
The principal advised me to do what was right for my family. I informed him that my son would not be attending schools until a judge overrules this decision of no masks required.
He said, “my son could wear a mask.” I get that! My issue is that there will be bullies, and I’m not putting my son in a classroom as a science experiment to see if Covid-19 cases will rise. I’m by no means a scientist, but my hypothesis is yes, as the cases certainly won’t decrease!
My son’s advocate
As a mom, my gut screams, keep him home! My heart feels sad, and my brain is confused and concerned for his future.
I must stay strong about my intuition, for it saves us from trouble down the road, which is why I’m keeping him home and away from the germ invested classrooms.
Trusting your intuition is the ultimate act of believing in yourself, which is not always easy.
“It can be difficult to speak truth to power. Circumstances, however, have made doing so increasingly necessary.”
– Aberjhan
Overthinking
One of the biggest things getting in the way of my gut is my overthinking as a mom. I want the best for my son, and my gut tells me this is the right way.
Yet, my heart and brain are in a battle all of their own. Putting excessive thought into my decision is tiring. Plus, I’ve been going over endless scenarios and outcomes in my mind.
These thoughts can lead me away from my gut instinct, especially because I’m trying so hard to justify my feelings on such a serious issue.
My mind has been racing with thoughts, and my normal thought process feels overwhelming.
My mind has already built a case about wearing masks, and I made up my mind last year when masks became a mandate, but my heart is sad because I know my son needs to be in school!
Ought to’s
The thought that I should send him to school has entered my mind because I don’t want to go against the current. I don’t want to be on a list of difficult parents. I worked as an administrative assistant in a Catholic school before. I knew the parents who found every loophole in the School Policy Handbooks.
However, when following your gut, you must avoid the feeling of shrinking your beliefs and avoid the easy way by conforming to the ways that are not in line with where your gut is leading you. I’m aware that I must be careful of the ought to’s running through my mind because these are shifting my thought on what other people want and away from my gut.
Action as a parent
I’ve decided to rely on my intuition to make this complex decision. I don’t need to explain it or justify to others how I’ve arrived at it. The principal told me I needed to do what was best for my son and our family. If I apply reasoning and data to my gut feeling, the more likely I’ve been in the past to put off a decision but not this time. My mind is set.
“Don’t be afraid of your fears. They’re not there to scare you. They’re there to let you know that something is worth it.”
– C. JoyBell C.
When you’re using your intuition to do something other than what others are telling you to do, your gut can be just the thing that can help you make a bold decision. Have you struggled to take a stance for your gut decisions recently?
Thank you, Liberty Forrest, Author, for your healing publication, Hope, Healing, and Humour. Your prompt this week about intuition couldn’t have come at a better time to help me through my gut feelings during these challenging times. I hope by sharing my story it will help other parents dealing with these same issues.
I want to leave you with a writer who I’ve missed dearly; I’ve followed her for awhile and even on a unique 100-day challenge. Amy Marley is on a break spending time with her family. I hope to see her back soon:
