We could all use a bit more calm, now and forever. I want to share some ways you can invite more calm into your home and make mindfulness a habit for your family.
What is mindfulness? Mindfulness means focusing on the present moment, acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Mindfulness anchors us in the present where there is nothing to chase and nothing to resist, nothing to fix and nothing to fear. Mindfulness is an incredibly powerful – and FREE – tool to bring more calm to your daily life.
So whether you have one, five, or twenty minutes, invite some mindfulness into your day today and experience the benefits of a calmer mama and a calmer home.
Mini Chunks of Mama Time
Parenting is a 24/7/365 job, and now the workload has still somehow doubled. With fewer commitments outside the home, we have more time together in small spaces. To combat the “you’re driving me crazies,” we must carve out our sacred self-care time into smaller chunks. I highly recommend starting your day with meditation or deep breathing. Once you have this tool in your toolbox, you can turn to it anytime you feel your anxiety or frustration rising.
One minute? Anti-anxiety breathing (breathe in for a count of 4, hold for 7, breathe out for 8)
Five minutes? Mindful Mama Podcast Daily Dose 5-minute meditations
Twenty minutes? Insight Timer app for guided meditations, stories, & calming music
Sensory Play Every Day
Sensory play is for kids what yoga and meditation are for adults – a way to engage the senses and be present in the moment. While there are tons of ideas out there for elaborate (and gorgeous!) sensory bins, sensory play can be very quick and easy to set up, while still reaping tons of benefits for kiddos of all ages and a little extra quiet time for mama.
One minute? Water play! Fill a bucket with water. Dump in toys. Add soapy bubbles or food coloring (optional).
Five minutes? Dry beans + Animals + Pom poms = Make a zoo! Our favorite local destination is the zoo, so we love to put our animals in a sensory bin and feed them pom pom treats!
Twenty minutes? (Plus dry time) Rainbow Rice. Mix together some of the most magical sensory material! I love to play in the rice as much as my son, and any toy instantly gets a new life when thrown in a bucket of rainbow rice. (If you don’t have rice already on hand, dry pasta works as well).
End the Day with Mindfulness
All is well that ends well, so make sure you close out each day with mindfulness. Forgive yourself for anything you may have judged as not good enough. Connect with yourself and your child so you can start anew tomorrow.
One minute? Deep breaths! Teach your kiddo to relax their whole body and get ready for sleep. Deep breathing is an incredible tool for anyone’s emotional regulation toolbox. Here is a read-along of one of our favorite mindfulness books for kids, Alphabreaths.
Five minutes? Bedtime Yoga! You can follow along with a book (we love this one) or just make it up as you go. Not a yogi? Try this five-minute video. If your kiddo needs to get a few more wiggles out, try this 17-minute kids yoga video.
Twenty minutes? Our favorite way to end the bedtime routine is with kid’s podcast, Be Calm on Ahway Island. Each episode starts with “Dragon Breaths” to relax then features a calming story with a sweet ending. My son is always calm and sleepy by the end and so am I!