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As we continue to navigate the realities of the ongoing pandemic, mindfulness can help us offer ourselves some much-needed love, compassion, and peace of mind. “Putting our mask on first” helps us be better caretakers for those who are depending on us during this incredibly challenging time, especially during homeschooling! With that said, today we are sharing these mindfulness for mums tips from Julie Potiker, mindfulness expert, that you can incorporate into your daily lives over the coming weeks to help take the edge off.

Mindfulness for mums: 5 simple things you can do starting today

Unhook your parenting

It might feel next to impossible to do this while you and your children are quarantined together at home, but it’s so important. Unhooking your parenting is all about creating your own sense of inner calm and clarity, regardless of the tough homeschooling day your child may be having. To help them get through this, you have to find solid ground in your own inner peace.

Embrace Self-Compassion

Accept yourself and your energetic way of being as “just right,” just as you are. Keep your eye on the ball of focusing on self-compassion, whether it’s the soft kind or the fierce kind.

Take time away from the 24-hour news cycle

Give yourself permission to step away, turn off the TV, and steer clear of contentious social media streams when you need a break. I urge you to pop in ear buds and listen to a guided meditation. The free Insight timer app is terrific. You can search for my name, or choose from thousands of wonderful teachers. If you have a meditation practice, make time to do it!  Honing your gratitude practice will help too – answer these 2 questions each night: 1. What did I enjoy today? 2.What am I grateful for today?

Comfort yourself with soothing touch

Placing your hand over your heart — or wherever you find it most comforting (i.e., your shoulder, your cheek) — taps into your body’s mammalian caregiver response and releases oxytocin and opiates in your brain to counteract cortisol, the stress hormone. 

I put my hand on my heart probably 20 times a day! Whenever I hear an upsetting story, up goes my hand to my heart. Some of my mindfulness students find that placing a hand on their belly or cheek worked better for them. Try different spots out on yourself and see what works for you. BONUS: Sometimes a simple comforting hug is just what your child needs to get through a tough day, too!

Remember all the Mindfulness in Daily Life Activities

Try to shower, cook, clean, brush your teeth mindfully – you need to do those things anyway, so try doing them without ruminating on the past or worrying about the future, resting your awareness gently on what you are doing while you are doing it! Turn off the TV and phone and see whether you can have quiet time for even one of these activities to do mindfully.

Remember to do all the other important things for your wellness, like getting enough good sleep, eating as healthy a diet as you can, reducing alcohol consumption, enjoying your favorite tunes and letting the music move you, trying to move your body, getting outside in nature or even looking out the window. Trying to connect with nature helps because the trees and the mountains endure so they can feel grounding.

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We hope that these tips of mindfulness for mums help to keep you calm and centred over what is an incredibly taxing period for us all. Remember to take the time to look after yourself and that this is a marathon, not a sprint!

When it comes to mindfulness for mums during homeschooling and the pandemic, what have you been doing to try and stay calm and present during these testing times? Do share in a comment below.

About Julie Potiker

Author and mindfulness expert Julie Potiker is an attorney who began her serious study and investigation of mindfulness after graduating from the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program at the University of California, San Diego. She was trained by Kristin Neff, Christopher Germer and UCSD as a Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher. She went on to study with Rick Hanson, becoming a graduate of his Positive Neuroplasticity Training Professional Course.

Now, she shares these and other mindfulness techniques with the world through her Mindful Methods for Life trainings and her new book: “Life Falls Apart, but You Don’t Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm In the Midst of Chaos.” She holds a B.G.S. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from George Washington University.

Find out more at mindfulmethodsforlife.com.