142: When It's All Too Much: The Mental Health Episode with Yolonda Coles Jones

Yolonda Coles Jones (@yolonda_j) joins us for an important conversation about prioritizing mental health and wellbeing for ourselves and our families as we homeschool. How can we best support the mental health of our children in this difficult and uncertain time of pandemic?  How do we take care of ourselves while we take care of our kids? Yolonda also shares her advice for non-white families on how to take good care amidst increased visibility of and exposure to racial terror and trauma. Breathe deep with us as we receive the gift of Yolonda's wisdom and insight.   Get the extended interview with Yolonda when you join us on Patreon. We get Yolonda's take on the Homeschool Unrefined signatures "What We Don't Do" and "Rock Your Strengths/Giving Ourselves Credit." Plus, she shares about her typical homeschool day and specific self-care practices.   Connect with Yolonda and her coaching practice on Instagram, Facebook, and on her website.   Takeaways  -Surrender to the process: Don't hold yourself to unrealistic expectations. -Teaching our children to help: "How can we move the home forward together?" -Our kids may have more fear and anxiety than we have about the world right now because they have less context than we do.  -Use the autonomy and freedom you have in homeschool to honor your needs: Stop and breathe together. Take a day or a week off. Put on a movie for a snuggle or get takeout. -"Your right now's best is good enough." -"What do you need right now?"   Mentions Patreon Squad Facebook Group    Books Visit our new bookshop.org store. When you shop with Bookshop, you're supporting us AND a local independent bookstore of your choice. Woohoo!   Listener Review myshell726, 09/11/2020 "I always enjoy listening to this podcast. Maren and Angela are funny, and they have a good balance of casual conversation and topical discussion. I also admire them for speaking out on the need for homeschoolers to become more inclusive. There are a lot of homeschool podcasts, but this is one of my favorites!" Leave us a 5-star rating and review here.     Loving This Week Angela: Target JoyLab Mid-Rise Jersey Joggers Maren: Outdoor string lights   More About Homeschool Unrefined We are an inclusive and nonsectarian podcast. We believe Black Lives Matter, and we are LGBTQ+ affirming (for more, read our piece on Romper). We are listener supported and are donating 10% of all Patreon income and product sales to The Conscious Kid, a Black and Brown-led organization that has been instrumental in our own evolution and in leading the way in both ideological and tangible change with their work in "parenting and education through a critical race lens." Read our full ABAR Statement here and on Instagram.     Connect with us!  Visit our website | Sign up for our newsletter. | Support us on Patreon. | Join our closed Facebook group: Unrefined Homeschoolers | Merch Shop Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube Angela on Instagram: @unrefinedangela | Maren on Instagram: @unrefinedmaren Email us any questions or feedback at [email protected] Visit our Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/homeschoolunrefined We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.