- Hello, and welcome to Living In the Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

Back to school and fall events, like sports and other extracurricular activities for kids, can be a hectic time for parents.

So, a Lehigh Valley psychotherapist is offering ways to regain a life balance when things get stressful.

- You want to hide McQueen?

- In the busy times that autumn and back-to-school season bring, being stressed or burned-out are feelings Darlene Valentin knows all too well.

- It is a little stressful at times, but I try my best to just take a breath.

- She's a single mother of four who takes her little one to the sandbox at the Bob Rodale Cycling and Fitness Park, in Breinigsville, for a break.

- I try to take my two-year-old outdoors to get some air.

That gives me a little bit of sanity, and some quality time for myself just to get a minute and just breathe.

- That's exactly what people should do if they are feeling out of balance, says Shonda Moralis, a women's empowerment coach, author, and psychotherapist practicing in Kutztown.

Moralis encourages others to create a life balance.

- So, I define life balance as a gentle, ongoing recalibration of life's priorities as we move through the seasons of our lives.

- Moralis, who is also a mom of two, says being proactive to prevent burnout is ideal, but not always possible.

So, she offers ways for people to regain that balance.

- You can practice something as simple as an oxygen-mindful break, which is stepping outside for just a few minutes every day, taking a few deep breaths of fresh air, looking around, using your senses.

What do you see?

What do you hear?

What do you feel?

And research shows that this can really benefit us emotionally, physically, mentally.

And what's interesting is if we can't even get outside, just by looking at a photo or an image of nature, has similar benefits.

- Elora Feliz, of Bethlehem, also takes her two-year-old to the Breinigsville Park.

- It's really nice here.

At any moment, you can get out of balance, whether it's like your kid wakes up in the wrong mood or, you know, you wake up tired.

- She believes parents need to put themselves first to set a good example for their kids.

- It's important for moms to take care of themselves, mainly because you're a prime example for your kids.

If you lack balance, it gets into your kid's life, and they lack it, too.

- Another tip Moralis says will help to bring some calm to a person's life is by visualizing what it looks like.

- And a simple exercise is taking a piece of paper and drawing two circles next to each other.

And the first is our current pie, and the next is our ideal pie.

And it's how our life priorities are divided up.

- She says to then think about one small action step that will take you from your current pie to your ideal pie, without getting so overwhelmed.

Moralis says those practices can not only help with parenting, but can help people stay focused in the workplace.

- What we know is when we're in fight-or-flight, when we're overwhelmed or stressed, our brain is not functioning as efficiently as it can.

And so, the more calm-ish we are, the more we can access that part of our brain that is efficient with creativity and innovation, and being able to step back and see the big picture.

- She says it's also important for adults to make time for play, which can include getting outside, being creative and picking up a paintbrush, or putting on music and dancing.

One of the moms at the park, Feliz, is studying cosmetology and says she incorporates that into her calming routine.

- I do self-care with my son, you know, we do, like, conditioning treatments and, you know, like, facial stuff.

And that's what I do for my self-care.

- Finally, as a mom herself, Moralis wants parents to stop and reflect on what they have already accomplished.

- What I really learned and teach to moms is that good enough is great.

So we are so hard on ourselves.

We want to do it well with this parenting thing because it matters so much, but really, good enough is really what our kids need.

And if we can give ourselves a little bit of grace and a little bit of leeway, they're going to do just fine.

- Moralis just released her third book, Don't Forget to Breathe: Five-Minute Mindfulness For Busy Women this month.

And it's all about creating life balance.

That will do it for this edition of Living In the Lehigh Valley.

I'm Brittany Sweeney, hoping you stay happy and healthy.