**This is Part 2 of a 7 part series on Mind-Body Skills. Check out the introductory post here or follow along on my YouTube channel.
Self-care is something that has gotten a lot of attention in the past several years, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems there is article after article encouraging us to “put ourselves first,” “care for ourselves” and not “pour from an empty cup.”
These things are all well and good, and I don’t disagree that self-care is important, especially for parents and teachers. That said, bubble baths, wine and chocolate are not a calm person going to make.
If we want to truly care for ourselves, we need to dial into the strategies that give our brains and bodies the rest it needs. Some of these strategies are commonplace and probably familiar to you while others may seem foreign and a bit out of reach.
Not too long ago, that was mindfulness for me. In my mind, mindfulness equaled meditation which, in turn, equaled stress. What do you mean I am supposed to quiet my mind for 20 minutes? How do I do that? When do I do that? I CAN’T do that.
While meditation is a form of mindfulness, it’s not the only one by a long shot. By definition, mindfulness is “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations.”
Maybe even the definition of the word seems stressful to you. Put more simply, it’s a state of awareness, and meditation is not the only way to achieve awareness. In fact, you might be surprised by the activities that fall under this umbrella term. Here are just a few:
- Grounding your feet on the earth
- Being still
- Praying
- Practicing gratitude
- Mindfully breathing
- Going for a walk
- Listening to music
You may be wondering why some of the categories I’ve previously written about are showing up on this list. Well, the short answer is that there is a lot of overlap between various mind-body skills and many of the strategies can help you attain a wide variety of goals, including being more present, easing anxiety, de-escalating from a stressful situation and better understanding your feelings and emotions.
If you’re a parent, teacher or other professional working with children, you would probably agree that these are all skills that kids need to develop and practice as well.
So, how do we introduce mindfulness to kids? The good news is that, because self-care and mindfulness have become such hot topics of late, there are a myriad of ways for kids to practice these skills. Here are a few of my favorites:
Mindful Listening: Take 1-2 minutes to sit in stillness and simply listen to the noises around you. Make a mental note of what you hear. If your mind begins to wander, simply recognize it and bring your focus back to listening.
Mindful Noticing: This strategy is the same as Mindful Listening but with your eyes instead of ears. Assign kids a color, shape, number or letter to “notice” around the classroom or other environment. Allow 1-2 minutes for them to scan the environment, looking for that thing.
One last note…put away the technology! It’s difficult to be mindful and present when we have a ringing, dinging computer in our pocket. So, unless you are using a mindfulness app, take a break from the device!
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