Mindfulness Activities to Do with Your Family
Work schedules, nursery activities, errand running and all the basics that make a family function can keep life dialed up to a high speed. By the end of the day, kids are overstimulated finding it tough to settle down and parents are feeling overwhelmed desperate for some downtime.
This constant motion can create an exhausting tension that brings on feelings of frustration, sadness, and yup…familiar feels of mom burnout. All of this tension seeps into how we communicate with our loved ones and can cause an unintentional negative experience.
When finding a calm place from which to parent feels as insurmountable as your seventeen-million piles of dirty laundry, it might be time to check out tools that can help move your family to a space where loving connection is everything. Introducing mindfulness.
Practicing mindfulness means putting a pause before action and it’s this intentional pause that supports us in staying calmly connected to ourselves (and others) during stressful and/or overwhelming situations.
Learning to Be More Mindful Every Day
It’s common to fall into a pattern of mindlessness when relationships and situations become “predictable.” So, if your hurried schedule in combination with your toddler’s daily meltdowns are creating big feelings of anger or anxiety, you might be stuck in a reactive habit, asking questions that deal with the present can move us back to a more grounded, mindful state.
Ask yourself, “How can I love this person more fully? What do I appreciate about this person?’. Taking that pause and asking in-the-moment questions is one way to reestablish a calmer connection with yourself and those around you.
Here are 3 more ways to continue your journey into mindfulness with your family.
1. Mindful Conversations
Practicing active listening is one of the most meaningful gifts we can give someone. Active listening is a skill, listen without thinking about what you’re going to say next, repeat what you’ve heard, be non-judgmental and curious when asking questions, and offer empathy. When you implement one (or all) of these techniques into your family dynamic, conflict and impatience lessen which creates space for healthy connections.
2. Mindful Breathing
Taking time out to take deep breaths has been proven to stabilize blood pressure and reduce stress. If your family is in the middle of a debate or maybe handling a toddler meltdown, taking a breath can help. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly (the hand placement offers grounding nourishment) and breathe into your belly in through the nostrils and out through the mouth.
These don’t have to be big breaths and you can incorporate this method into a morning ritual or to calm your racing thoughts. It’s an accessible breathing technique to bring mindfulness into any moment.
3. Mindful Walking in Nature
Research shows that spending time in nature improves health and makes us happy. Combine that with mindfully walking outside together and we can find even more moments of connection and centeredness. When walking outside we can tune into our senses.
Be mindful of all that you see, hear, and smell and then talk about this with your loved ones. This makes room for a consistent habit of easy and open conversation, walking outside creates a sense of awe and inspiration in all that we see.