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The past few weeks we talked about ways you can find happy during stressful times and how to reassess your goals and priorities in light of the current circumstances.
These are super important when things are so up in the air like they are now. Having purpose and direction can increase our calm and happiness as can looking for the silver linings and happy moments throughout our day.
Another important way to reduce the stress of the current situation is to find a little calm each day. Just taking a few minutes to decompress can make a world of difference in our lives and the lives of those around us.
There are many ways to do this but I will share my 3 favorites below.
1. Meditation
You don’t have to be super woo woo to meditate. It is simply a way to slow down and breathe and focus. You don’t even have to sit still; you can do moving meditations which can be very effective. You can meditate while doing yoga stretches or as you take a walk.
I love using the Calm App to help me meditate. They provide daily meditations that are about 10 minutes long and really help me start my day with calm. This helps me react to three kids running around all day.
The app also includes meditations for children, stories to help you get to sleep, and calming music. Newly added is the Disney Peaceful Piano which I am super excited about and meditations for kids featuring characters form Thomas the Tank Engine.
This is not an all or nothing thing either. While I try to meditate daily, it doesn’t always happen. It’s not a thing you should punish yourself for not doing or for not doing as well as you think you should. Just feel happy when you do get it in and you make an effort.
2. Prayer
Prayer is another way to add calm into your life. It is a time when you get to place the things that are out of your control into someone else’s hands and trust that He has your best interest in mind.
Worry of the unknown can take over our lives especially when everywhere we look someone has an opinion on what should be done and what isn’t being done correctly. We want to be informed but then we also get bombarded with a lot of doom and gloom and sensationalism.
Prayer allows us to get our worries off our chest. It also gives us some to trust in who will hold our worries for us. When we believe that God is in control, we no longer have to worry about the things we cannot control.
We must still be proactive and take responsibility for keeping ourselves safe and healthy. It is not permission to stop social distancing or stop wearing masks and just rely on faith. We need to do our part as well to keep our family healthy and secure. Prayer allows us to do the things we can control and put the rest into God’s hands.
3. Coloring
There is just something so soothing about sitting down and just coloring. It reduces stress and anxiety and allows us an opportunity for calm focus. If you do it before bedtime instead of watching TV, it can help you get better sleep as well.
Coloring is also a great way to bond with your kiddos. You can sit down and color side by side and enjoy some calm quality time together.
That being said, I put together a set of mandala coloring pages which you can print out and color whenever you need a little calm in your life.
The Set includes 12 designs four of which can be seen above. You can make multiple copies and color them with your kids, you can color them on your own, or color them while your kids color their own coloring books.
Either way its a great way to keep entertained and get calm.
Cheers,
Emily
