Balanced Heart Coaching
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Card Deck
  • Books I Love
  • About Me
  • Speaking
  • Survival Kit
  • Contact Me

Mindful Moments

7/21/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
After a long day, have you ever started a countdown to bedtime in your head?  You know that feeling around 7pm (or earlier) when you think “Just one more hour and then I can _____.”  Usually these thoughts are followed by feelings of guilt, but your’re just so tired!  Spending all day (or even a part of your day) with little humans is exhausting!  At the end of the day all you want is quiet time to unwind.  I’m here to tell you, you are not alone in your desires!  These feelings are not selfish and you should definitely not feel guilty about it.
 
The challenge is - why wait until the day is over to completely collapse? How can you find little pockets of time throughout your day to refresh yourself?  
 
In her book, Breathe Mama Breathe: 5-Minute Mindfulness for Busy Moms, Shonda Moralis gives us easy exercises we can use throughout the day to keep our sanity.  Here are a few of my favorites to get you started:
 
3 Breath Hug
This one is so easy and can be done at any time of the day.  When you are hugging your child, take three synchronized, deep breaths together.  Drop your shoulders and relax your muscles.  You can start your day with it, use it when you say good-bye or use it in the middle of the day to calm a tense situation.
 
The STOP Mindful Break
Stop.  Take a breath.  Observe and proceed.  When you are in the middle of a tense situation it is easy to get caught up in emotions.  It takes practice to be able to STOP in the middle of the emotion of a situation, but if you can follow these four steps, you’ll be able to find the best solution.
 
The Driving Mindful Break
This one is perfect for when you are on the go, as you drive check in with your body.  Are you feeling tense?  Are you worried about being late or relaxed and at ease?  Have your thoughts wandered off the road?  Take a moment, maybe at a red light, to drop your shoulders, relax your grip and enjoy the ride.  Relax knowing you are on your way and will get there soon enough.
 
The Waiting Mindful Break
We often feel like a spare moment in our day is meant to be filled, often by looking at our phone.  Next time you find yourself waiting, do a quick body scan.  Start with your feet and scan up your body, feeling the sensations at every point. Stretch your legs. Relax your belly.  Soften the small muscles around your mouth and eyes.  Notice your breath, thoughts and feelings.
 
These are just a few ideas to get you started.  There are so many other great exercises, like the Just Dance Mindful Break, Mommy High 5’s and After Meltdown, it was hard for me to choose just a couple to highlight!  No matter which one you choose to do, if you can make time to take these small breaks throughout the day, you will be less emotionally exhausted at the end of the day.  Don’t worry if you forget, these all take practice.  If you can work at least one of these practices into your day, you will see (and feel) a change.
 
Heart-FULLy Yours,    
Kacey


Don’t miss a post – sign up to receive the blog in your inbox every week.  Scroll to the top of the page and you’ll see a box to enter your email in the upper right side of the page.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Parenting
    Work Life Balance

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Author

    I started writing this blog because I wanted to have deeper conversations beyond "How are you?", "Busy", with other parents.  Over the years I've shared personal stories, articles, authors and topics to facilitate conversations with parents about the joys and the challenges of parenting.

    RSS Feed

Life Coach Certification from Coach Training Alliance
Picture
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer: I may receive affiliate compensation from the resources and websites mentioned on this website.
© 2021 Balanced Heart Coaching  
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Card Deck
  • Books I Love
  • About Me
  • Speaking
  • Survival Kit
  • Contact Me