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How do you help your child regulate when you're not regulated yourself? If you're raising a neurodivergent child or healing from trauma, this is your daily reality. Your child has big emotions, sensory needs, meltdowns, refusals. And meanwhile, you might be dissociating, anxious, or overstimulated yourself. You love your child fiercely, but sometimes your nervous system just says, "I can't do this right now. I caaaaan't." Let's talk about what to do in those moments. T his is

When you're parenting after trauma, especially trauma that involved the other parent, there are moments where your mind knows that you're safe now, that you made it out, that the crisis has passed... But your body and your nervous system don't believe you yet. This is the transcript for Episode 10 . Your heart is racing, your shoulders are up by your ears, you're pracing for impact, your stomach's tight, your thoughts get fast or blank or sharp; that's what happens when your

There is something that sits in the back of the mind for many mothers who co-parent with someone unpredictable or high-conflict: That court date you can't stop thinking about, or the custody review, or the mediation, the evaluation, or the email that might come at any moment. This kind of stress is not theoretical, it's not just anxiety. It's your nervous system responding to something with real weight, and you are not overreacting. Your body is responding to something that r

There is an important difference between rest and escape. Escaping is something the nervous system does when it doesn't feel safe. It's a survival response. So there's no shame here. We are simply learning to notice what is happening so we can take care of ourselves better. This is the transcript for Episode 8 . What rest looks like: Rest is something that reduces stress in your body. Rest feels like your breathing slows down. Your shoulders soften, your thoughts quiet a lit

Today's question is, what do we do when their stimming overstimulates us? In most households, we hear parents talking about their kids wanting to be in their arms all the time or their kids being up against their legs all the time, wanting contact and needing that hug all the time. In parenting circles, neurotypical circles, a phrase has been coined for this. It's called being touched out . In those circles, they will remind you that love and overwhelm can coexist. That's a b

Peace can sometimes feel wrong. Like your body doesn't know what to do with it. Like there's an addiction to chaos, which is something I'm going to be covering in Episode 15A through 16B. This is something that used to confuse me and still sometimes surprises me. This is the transcript for Episode 6 . If you've lived through chaos, emotional abuse, instability, constant conflict, your nervous system learns that tension equals normal. You don't even notice it happening, your

Life doesn't stop being hard just because you understand what's happening. Healing doesn't mean the chaos disappears. It means you get better at finding stillness while it's happening. There are still court papers, still emails that spike your heart rate, still moments when your child has a meltdown and you can feel your nervous system start to overload. This is the transcript for Episode 5 . These reactions in your body, are really your body doing exactly what it was trained

When I left my marital home, I was a few weeks pregnant. At first, it didn't feel like escaping abuse. I just knew I couldn't keep living this way. The tension I felt, the fear, the constant confusion, something in me finally said, "enough". The feeling of being harrassed didn't stop after I left. In some ways, it got worse. This is the transcript for Episode 4 . But being in a new home and then eventually in another social circle gave me space to breathe and to start seeing

There's a kind of strength that doesn't look like fighting. It looks like letting go. Not giving up, but detaching. If you've ever had to co-parent with someone unpredictable or love a child who needs extra patience, you know how draining it can be to stay emotionally steady. This is the Transcript for Episode 3 . Every reaction, every word, every tone feels like it carries weight. And sometimes you just need to step back to keep your peace. But detachment can be misunderstoo

We talked about what it means to let peace be your defense, to stand calm when the battle finds you, in the first episode. Today I want to talk about something simple, and yet for many of us, it's the hardest thing in the world: faith. Not the poetic, flowery kind, but the literal kind. This is the transc ript for Episode 2 . Literal faith is what you hold when logic runs out. It's what you cling to when everything looks impossible, when you've done all you can and all that's

Here I talk about Mom's autism. Some of the advice below is better suited for single moms on the spectrum parenting neurotypical kids. My Podcast is where I focus on the ASD Mom + ASD kids combo. Autistic single mothers face unique challenges that often go unrecognized. Balancing the demands of parenting while managing sensory sensitivities, social expectations, and sometimes limited support can feel overwhelming. Yet, many single mothers on the spectrum find ways to thrive b

Many autistic women find themselves repeatedly targeted by narcissists. This troubling pattern is not a coincidence. Understanding why women on the spectrum attract individuals with NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) can help autistic women protect themselves and build healthier relationships. This article explores the dynamics behind this attraction and offers practical insights for ASD women navigating relationships. Part of narcissistic abuse if a deep feeling of isol

I'm Faustina, and this space is for mothers who are learning to find peace and faith in the middle of life's hardest seasons. Sometimes we don't choose the fight. The fight finds us. It shows up as heartbreak, exhaustion, betrayal, or endless responsibilities that never seem to stop. For me, it showed up through motherhood, through trauma, through co-parenting, through moments that tested everything I thought I believed. When the battle found me, I used to think peace meant e

In this post I discuss general thoughts on coparenting an ASD child. Most of them do not apply in the context of parallel parenting, when the coparenting relationship is highly litigious and feels like there's a power imbalance. I wanted to write this piece nonetheless for anyone who's not living that reality, and is just a single mom to an autistic child. The assumption here is that the coparenting relationship is highly functional. My Podcast however is where I dive into h

Narcissistic abuse can leave deep emotional scars. Many survivors feel lost, confused, and unsure of how to move forward. If you are reading this, you may be seeking guidance on your healing journey. You are not alone. This guide aims to provide practical steps and insights to help you reclaim your life and rebuild your sense of self. Understanding Narcissistic Abuse Narcissistic abuse is a form of emotional and psychological manipulation. It often involves a partner or fami

A quiet space for mothers healing from trauma and parenting in peace Mindfulness, gentle parenting, trauma and faith Hello there. Welcome. My name is Faustina and I'm so glad you're here. This blog is intended as a safe space, a place of peace and quiet for mothers navigating spicy situations. I believe the years of chaos that I went through have taught me a thing or two, and I want my suffering to bear fruit. If you prefer the written form, the blog and the transcripts o