Despite the uncertainty and turbulence of life as we’ve known it right now, I hope you are enjoying the longer stretches of daylight and warmer weather as I am. Seeing crocus blooms and daffodil tips poking out of the leaves, hearing new birdsongs, and smelling earthy scents after the rain always lifts my spirits. Taking time to notice things with our five senses is a great way to slow down and come back to ourselves when we are caught up in emotions, anxiety, and overwhelm. I’d like to share three practices you can incorporate into your daily life to reboot your energy and outlook when you need it.
Three Mindfulness Practices to Try Today
Between parenting, work, and uncertainties about the coronavirus, our kids, the economy, politics, climate change and on and on, we can easily lose track of what’s most important and what is wonderful in our daily lives.
5-4-3-2-1
On a recent morning walk, a friend shared a “grounding practice” with me that I wanted to share with you. It’s called 5-4-3-2-1.
When you notice you are feeling stressed and anxious, simply pause and breathe as you notice:
5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Try this right now… wherever you are. Just pause and notice these things, and then consider how you feel differently after breathing and noticing. Often gratitude springs up as you appreciate the world through your senses. Other times, you become aware of a need you have – often for comfort, rest, or connection. This can be a great practice to share with your child or teen when they need to get calm or pause a flow of thoughts and feelings.
Shades of Green
Another practice that parents in my Mindful Parenting class have enjoyed is to pause and notice 5 shades of green as you take 5 deep breaths. You can do this with any color, but green tends to be especially soothing. This is a great one to share with younger children when waiting in a line, driving in the car, or when trying to ward off a meltdown. Invite them to come close and look with you and you will re-establish a feeling of connection and wonder in those moments.
Gratitudes and Gifts
Another practice I love, and that my husband reminds me to do when I get lost in worries or negative thoughts, is “Gratitudes and Gifts.” When you notice you are caught in a negative spiral, pause… and shift your thoughts to gratitude, and you will start to feel better. Gratitudes are anything you can think of that you are grateful for – from simply being alive to having food to eat to having something or someone you enjoy in your life.
Gifts are little surprises or happenings in your day that feel like a gift – noticing a beautiful pattern in the ice or clouds, a text from a friend, a canceled meeting that gives you time to do something else you wanted to do, a spontaneous hug from a child. As you focus on these gratitudes and gifts, hope and perspective will return. The hardest part is choosing to shift from what’s wrong to what’s right because sometimes we want to dwell in feeling bad, sad or angry. Sitting with feelings IS an important part of working through them. However, when that dwelling starts weighing upon you or feeling unhealthy, you can lift the weight in seconds by switching your thoughts to the positive in your life. If you have trouble doing this, you can ask family and friends to help you when you forget.
Taking care of ourselves by pausing to breathe and get centered is a wonderful way of modeling healthy behavior for our children. We are living in a time of more anxiety, and they need to see us doing simple healthy things that make us feel good – showing affection, taking a walk, looking up at the sky, commenting on something positive, meditating for a few minutes, and countless other small actions. As parents, it is easy to lose sight of how important self-care is. Pausing to savor moments of connection with people and the world gives us little bursts of happiness and peace. Try it and let me know what you notice.
If you’d like some help in designing mindfulness practices or smoother schedules for you and your family or if you need some help connecting with a child or teen, consider scheduling a free 30-minute Clarity Call or some parent coaching sessions with me. I love brainstorming with parents to come up with creative solutions that match your family’s unique needs.
May you take time to pause and savor many moments with all of your senses. I wish you many happy moments during this unusual season of spring!
Amy
