Just Do Nothing (for Parents): How to Parent Better by Doing Less - Softcover

Hardis, Joanna

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798992958836

Publisher: Finn-Phyllis Press, 2025

Synopsis

You swore you'd parent differently.

But somehow, you find yourself on Reddit parenting threads at 2am seeking reassurance that you’re not a terrible mom, and you’ve Googled “Is it bad if I yelled at my child?” more times than you’d like to admit. You’re tired of bouncing between contradictory advice, hoping someone, somewhere, has the one “right” answer.

Parenting is hard. It’s even harder when your nervous system feels stuck on high alert (or overdrive), your emotions feel out of control, and you’re worried that every move you make will screw your kids up. From the author of Just Do Nothing: The Paradoxical Guide to Getting Out of Your Way comes a version just for parents. Because raising emotionally resilient kids starts with us.

As a CBT therapist who specializes in the treatment of OCD and anxiety disorders (and has been in the parenting trenches for over two decades), Joanna Hardis doesn’t just tell you to get comfortable being uncomfortable; she shows you how to do it with a science-backed, refreshingly honest approach to becoming a more regulated parent who’s better capable of navigating discomfort by doing less, not more.

Inside, you’ll learn how to:

• Pause instead of pounce when your kid hits your last nerve.
• Increase your capacity to sit with discomfort and uncertainty.
• Respond with intention instead of reactivity.
• Accept difficult emotions and build your emotional resilience.
• Not make already difficult situations even harder.

It’s not about eliminating distress. It’s about learning to live with it in healthier ways. And while that may sound uncomfortable, it’s exactly the skill set you (and your kids) need.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS

"Readers who enjoyed books like Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy or The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary will find Just Do Nothing an invaluable addition to their parenting shelf. It’s for anyone ready to stop striving for perfection and start parenting with presence, humor, and grace."

—Chicago Book Review

If you’re a mom who’s ever scrolled through social media wondering how everyone else seems to have it together, or who’s tired of trying to be all things to all people, this book will feel like a warm, understanding friend. Just Do Nothing doesn’t tell you to give up; it gives you permission to breathe. And in today’s world, that might be the most powerful parenting tool of all.

—Manhattan Book Review

Edition details

• Publisher: Finn-Phyllis Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798992958836
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 303