What if You Could Cultivate Some Calm?
As parents and teachers, we know our job is to teach our children how to cope with friendships, exploration, learning, and new adventures. We also model and teach them social-emotional and self-regulation skills like the delicate dance of advocacy and empathy, how to speak up and how to listen, how to explore, and how to (figuratively) color within the lines.
They’ve got a lot to do and it can get overwhelming.
When they're little and tired or cranky, they have naps. In school, we have quiet time so that they can re-set for the second half of the day. When kids act out or lose control, we often use a spot to take a break or the "time out" place. In my classroom, we also had a "meditation station," a feature I hear about these meditation peace spots now routinely from classroom teachers. It's generally a comfy spot to sit down to breath, relax, maybe draw and or watch fish in a bowl or image of nature. Ah….
We know these strategies help kids re-set when they lose control or feel overwhelmed. It allows them to move from the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-flight-freeze mode to parasympathetic nervous system’s rest-and-digest mode. Then they are better able to think, reflect, and act from a more calm place.
So why is this so hard to do as adults when we’re cranky and overwhelmed?
Outcries of being "busy" have become the badges we wear and the norm of civilized life. But how utterly uncivilized to run around crazy busy, distracted, and multi-tasking.
Most of us are always on the run. Too many things on our list, too little downtime, and far too little sleep. We have the pressures of family, care-giving, and "doing it all."
We are frustrated.
We are lonely.
We are sad or angry.
We're disappointed.
We think we are weird or flawed or most definitely alone.
Guess what?
We're none of those things. Those are the stories our minds tell us. They are not the truth.
If you feel like this, you are certainly not alone. I hear the from women ALL THE TIME. Most of the time, women tell me they think they are the only one who doubts herself or who is wildly exhausted.
I know you're not alone because I hear this often.
I know you’re not alone because I was right there with you. Some days, I return to the place of craziness and frustration or even tears.
It took me a long time to learn the lessons - and I'm still learning - that mindfulness practice can keep those thoughts at bay and can bring calm to my life even at times when I am so swamped.
On days my calendar or head is full of the "to-dos" and big ideas, I take a short nap or have quiet time to re-set my nervous system or I have to coach myself. I’ve learned that i'’s when I think I don't have time to stop and pause, that I really need just a few minutes the CHILL THE HECK OUT.
I get to share this with my coaching clients and in my yoga classes. I've shared it in workplace workshops and small group coaching. People tell me it changes things - and that they use it for themselves and with their kids.
That is a tremendous gift not just for clients, but for me.
So I'm working on the way to share this with more people.
I hope you're one of them.
You might be thinking, "I don't have time for one more thing." Or maybe you're an "oh, no, no, no, no… Mindfulness is not for me."
I get it. I was a doubter. Then I was a cheater (I can pretend to be mindful!). I was a naysayer. But I persisted and found that I was more capable than I thought. Those doubts and criticism, those were just thoughts.
Could these be the stories your mind is telling you? What if you were curious enough to try?
What if it just took a few minutes each day to begin to bring a bit more calm into your busy life? Would you try then?
What if you had an experienced guide to help you give it a go?
I'd love to be that guide.
This can be YOUR time to stop, take a few breaths, and indeed be present — one minute at a time.
A time to let go of the overwhelm, the frustration, and the chatter in your head that isn't necessarily the truth.
Enter your details below and you'll get on the waitlist for a micro-class I’m offering to help you cultivate calm.
Here's the best part - all it will take is a few minutes each day from you.
No enrollment fee, no financial investment.
All you have to do is be curious and try. Space will be limited, so sign up and enroll once it opens.
Life doesn't always have to be chaotic. Join me in cultivating some calm!
Be well and take care,
Lisa
