The Mindful Midlife Mom - Mindfulness Practices and Techniques for Mentally Exhausted Moms Juggling Kids & Aging Parents

58 | Affirmation for Acceptance: Mindfulness for Midlife Moms Balancing Joy, Grief, and Burnout in the Sandwich Generation

• Valerie Mekki • Episode 58

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What if you could hold joy and sorrow at the same time—and grow stronger because of it?

Midlife is full of emotional contradictions: the pride of watching your children grow up alongside the heartbreak of watching your parents decline, the excitement of new beginnings paired with the grief of letting go. 

These emotional swings can feel overwhelming, but there’s power in learning to embrace the full spectrum of your experience in the sandwich generation.

  • Learn the A.C.E. method—Accept, Commit, and Exhale—to help you navigate emotional highs and lows with more ease and presence.
  • Discover how to anchor yourself in the moment using intention-setting, mindfulness, and journaling.
  • Experience a grounding affirmation session to help you embrace life’s dualities and strengthen your emotional resilience.

Press play to find peace in the paradox—because you can live fully, even when life feels like a roller coaster.

You’re listening to the right show, formerly known as the Mindful Life Changes or Mindful Career Change Podcast. We’ve made some pivots through the years, but we’ve finally landed on the right path: producing content for moms seeking calm within the chaos of midlife changes.

New episodes drop on:

  • Sundays: 20-minute episodes addressing common midlife challenges with practical strategies plus a featured mindfulness practice (affirmations, mantras, or meditations)
  • Wednesdays: Short guided practice sessions to reinforce Sunday's mindfulness technique and reset your week

More from The Mindful Midlife Mom:

Discover Valerie's articles on ohhellomidlife.com or watch her videos on Youtube @ohhellomidlife

This podcast explores patience, meditation, confidence, presence, and overcoming resentment while cultivating calm, peace, mindfulness, clarity, mantras, and addressing loneliness and burn out; it covers boundaries, caregiving, guilt, affirmations, working moms, self-care, midlife crisis, empty nesters, empowerment, people pleasing, compassion fatigue, family caregiving, stress relief, self-worth, stress management, and how to shift from reactive to centered when feeling short tempered, offering tools for self acceptance, easing mental exhaustion, building emotional resilience, harnessing inner strength, and preventing caregiver fatigue for those in the sandwich generation through expert advice on boundaries setting.

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Speaker 1:

Today's affirmation I accept and embrace the duality of my life, growing stronger with every experience. Navigating the dualities of midlife can often feel overwhelming, as though you're on a wild roller coaster One moment you're filled with excitement and belly filled laughter, and the next you're sad and stressed out. For example, you might be celebrating a joyous milestone one day and the next dealing with the emotional toll of caring for an aging parent or facing the stress of uncertainty at work. These contrasting experiences can be exhausting, causing you to feel distracted and diminish your focus on the present moment. But there is a way to embrace these emotional complexities and dualities. Even in the midst of contrasting worlds, you can build inner strength, resilience and truly live midlife to its fullest.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to the Mindful Life Changes podcast, where we dive deep into the challenges and transformations shaping our lives, from shifts in roles at home and work to the transitions we navigate physically and mentally as we gracefully age. I'm your host, valerie Mechie, a career change guide and mindfulness enthusiast. Life is made up of many different experiences the joy of finding love, the stress and anxiety of navigating work and home and, at times, the sadness and anguish we encounter. These emotional experiences add color and texture to this beautiful painting of life. Typically, these significant moments are spaced out by the predictability of everyday life. However, in midlife, I find these experiences often collide, each with its own emotional intensity, resulting in a chaotic and confusing mess. For example, one day I'm celebrating my daughter's high school graduation and the next I'm learning my health challenge. Father isn't feeling well and booking another trip to take care of my aging parents. At times I feel as if I'm living in two totally different worlds one filled with excitement and a bright future and another deeply entrenched with worry and dread. The wildly contrasting emotional highs and lows can quickly shift from one day to the next, feeling like whiplash and leaving my intentions split in every direction, but never fully present in the moment. In midlife, with so many responsibilities and obligations to tend to, it's hard not to get overwhelmed and allow the emotional toll of one situation to rob the joy or energy of another. But there is hope. I found a way not only to navigate the dualities that midlife can bring, but to thrive in them, with a three-step simple approach I like to call ACE accept, commit and exhale. By following these simple steps, you can find balance, stay present and release the tension that comes with life's contrast. Let me do a quick rundown of what ACE represents.

Speaker 1:

Step number one accept the duality In the midst of life's challenges. It's important to accept the duality in your life. Accept the joy and sorrow can coexist and let any of the thoughts of why me or why is this happening Let that go. Acceptance is the foundation of finding peace and moving forward. Step number two commit to being present. Stay focused on one task at a time, which will help you accept and fully experience each moment in its entirety. By giving yourself full attention to the present moment, you can manage your dual aspects of life more effectively. Try anchoring your day with one word, like patience, focus or love. By setting an intention before you start your day or task, you can guide your actions and mindset, helping you remain centered and grounded in the midst of chaos. I talk more about setting an intention for the day in episode 56. I'll put the episode information in the show notes.

Speaker 1:

Step number three exhale. Finally, take a moment to exhale and breathe, giving yourself some space and time to reflect. This simple act can help replenish your energy and reset your body and mind. Try writing down these moments in your journal, big or small, recording what happened, along with your thoughts, to hone in on that singularity of the experience. This can help open up some headspace to help process the next moment, or take five to 10 minutes to meditate, whether sitting down or taking a quick walk. This act of mindful breathing and reflection can help ground you, providing clarity and calm to help you face whatever comes next. So you've got acceptance, commitment and exhale. This is the best way to ace your way through the duality of midlife.

Speaker 1:

So, with that being said, let's take advantage of this present moment with an affirmation session to help build the muscle of acceptance. This will empower you to navigate the dualities of midlife with grace and resilience. We'll start our affirmation practice by priming your mind and body so you'll be open to this affirmation. Take a deep and cleansing breath in and out, releasing any energy that doesn't serve you. I'll begin by reciting the affirmation twice and while you listen to the affirmations, imagine you're writing this affirmation down on a whiteboard or you're watching someone write it on the board for you. This will help with memorization. So let's begin.

Speaker 1:

I accept and embrace the duality of my life, growing stronger with every experience. I accept and embrace the duality of my life, growing stronger with every experience. I'll repeat the affirmation again, but this time I want you to repeat it out loud to yourself so you can make a connection. I accept and embrace the duality of my life, growing stronger with every experience. I'll repeat the affirmation again Once again. Say it out loud to yourself I accept and embrace the duality of my life, growing stronger with every experience. Now imagine you're living life in one world or another and fully embracing this moment. See yourself in action and visualize this. I'll repeat this affirmation again and imagine yourself in full color. I accept and embrace the dualities in my life, growing stronger with every experience. I'll repeat it one last time and give you a moment to let it sink in. I accept and embrace the duality of my life, growing stronger with every experience. When you're ready, slowly open your eyes. If you have them closed and if it feels comfortable to you, place your hand over your heart to help seal in this affirmation practice with self-love and care.

Speaker 1:

This affirmation is yours to recite and practice for at least 21 days once a day. It's most effective before you go to bed at night or when you wake up in the morning, before you start your day. To deepen your affirmation practice, consider making your affirmations sticky. Write this affirmation down on a sticky note and place it on your bathroom mirror as a daily reminder to accept whatever experience life brings you and to be present in the moment, or transform it into a mantra I accept and embrace the duality in my life and repeat it to yourself silently as you walk or meditate, solidifying your commitment to living a life to its fullest, even within the dualities of midlife.

Speaker 1:

Make sure to subscribe and bookmark this episode so you'll have it handy whenever you need a quick guide of this affirmation. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a family member or a friend who may also be searching for ways to bring balance and focus in their lives, or show your appreciation by giving us a rating of this podcast wherever you're listening. Your support will help other midlifers discover this podcast so it can grow and blossom. Thank you for sharing this time and space with me. Every moment you dedicate being mindful is a step towards a more fulfilled and vibrant life. Keep embracing your midlife journey with an open heart and remember you are not alone in this. I look forward to our next mindful gathering. I'll talk to you soon.