Five ways to ease your family into the New Year with mindfulness

How to use mindfulness to ease your family into 2023

It’s difficult to get back into the swing of things….
Be a new, better version of yourself….
How to be a better parent, grown-up, partner, etc

How many emails have you had in the past week that said something along those lines?

We’re here to tell you - start small. Give yourself time to ease into the New Year. In the words of the poet David Whyte, “start close in”. Find ways to stay grounded and focused. This will help you and your family.

One want to do this is to use mindfulness techniques. So here are a few, easy ways you can use mindfulness to slowly ease yourself into 2023.

Start small.

It can be overwhelming to think about everything at once. Getting back to work, weekly shopping again, meal planning, organising the children’s activities. Trying to plan everything might make your brain explode! So focus on small, achievable goals first.

Focus on your breath.

One of the simplest and most effective mindfulness techniques is focusing on your breath. It can help you to anchor yourself in the present moment and let go of distracting thoughts. You can use this focus to start on the small tasks you’ve set yourself, for example, tonight for an hour, I’ll organise the kids' lessons. Or it can help you focus on your needs, for example, I feel tired and need to sit down with a cup of tea for five minutes.

Notice your surroundings.

As well as focussing on the breath, an easy way to bring yourself into the present moment is to pay attention to your surroundings. Take a few moments to notice the sights, sounds and smells around you. This can help you fully engage with the present moment and let go of stress and anxiety.

Treat creating space like a BASIC!

We remember to brush our teeth, shower, go to work, and even take the bins out. But do we make creating space for our mental health and wellbeing a priority? Think about it, do you? Do we prioritise teaching our children wellbeing? Making sure that we are creating space to look after our mental health, and supporting our children to learn as well, is key to preventing problems now, and in the future.

Take breaks.

To help create this habit, make sure to take breaks throughout the day to practice mindfulness. This could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths, or even a few minutes to sit and focus on your breath. It could mean focussing on your surroundings, or even drawing or staring out the window. This will help you to stay present and focused, even when you are in the middle of a busy day. Remember to encourage your children to take moments of stillness - you could even try our Pause Button exercise

You can use these simple things to help stay present and focussed as you get back to life after the holidays. Let us know how you get on. Find us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

If your family is struggling to get things back on an even keel after the break - you can download our Back to Normal Guide with hints around sleep, helping children with worries, and what you can try if they are missing you.