This week’s guest blog, is written by Hayley Saunt; teacher, mindfulness practioner, MHDC parent, all round good egg and founder of Mission: Mindfulness. If you like what you see below, please visit the website: www.missionmindfulness.co.uk

When I was invited to write a guest blog for Manor House Day Care, I did what any busy parent does in these situations; looked for a time-saving short-cut!

So I remembered my old blog and decided to revisit a previous post that will hopefully be helpful to you all during these current, strange times. There is so much I could write about how mindfulness can help us at the moment; how it can help us manage the stress and anxiety that we may understandably be feeling; how it can help us to ready our body for rest and sleep if that is something that is eluding us during ‘lockdown’; how it can help us look for the joy in the world around us when that may not always feel like an easy thing to do.

Or I could write about how mindfulness could help teens navigate their way through these tricky times without the structures of school and with the increased use of screens - juggling social media and online learning; or how to help younger children deal with their ‘big emotions’ when they may be feeling angry, worried or confused right now. All these things can be helped with mindfulness-based strategies. Mindfulness is not a panacea for solving all of our ills, but it can certainly be a helpful tool in dealing with challenging situations.

In the end I chose to revise a blog post from a couple of years ago that focuses on helping a busy parent prioritise self-care in bite-size chunks on a daily basis. It will hopefully be a reminder that if we can look after our own wellbeing during these days of ‘social distancing’, then we will be in a good position to support that of our loved ones too.

Below are some suggestions for incorporating aspects of mindfulness into a busy ‘lockdown’ day when you may be juggling home-schooling with working from home with a good dose of guilt at not being a ‘Pinterest parent’ thrown in, too.

1. Set yourself an intention about how you would like to be today. Note this is a ‘to be’ not a ‘to do’. Maybe you’d like to bring dollops of patience to your dealings with yourself and others today, maybe positivity. Perhaps you would like to try and be really kind to yourself in the next few hours and give yourself a break when things don’t quite go to plan. Intention-setting with a focus on an attitude you’d like to adopt a little more that day as opposed to writing a ‘to-do’ list can be really helpful in shaping the day ahead.

2. Kids napping or watching a bit of telly in the early afternoon if they are little? The older ones having a break from their home-learning? No conference calls scheduled for a while? Reconnect with your breath. Take a breathing space like this 3-step pause from Professor Mark Williams. It can work wonders for energy levels, clarity of mind and mood. Don’t have an electronic device to hand? Just STOP and talk yourself through the following steps:

   • S = stillness, take a moment to sit, stand or lie in stillness

   • T = tune into the breath. If this is tricky just count the ‘in’ breath and the ‘out’ breath for 3 – 5 rounds. Try and be with the full duration of each breath.

   • O = observe how you are feeling in that moment – what emotions and thoughts are around right now? Any bodily sensations?

   • P = proceed with your day hopefully feeling a little more present. If the children are with you, do these mini mindfulness practices with them too. Or do some petal breathing or finger breathing with them.

3. Go for a mindful walk and take a moment to look up and study the sky and the natural world around you. Whenever you go for your dose of daily exercise or get some fresh air in the garden give yourself a little time to really notice the colours, smells and sounds surrounding you. Comment on them if you are with others. Tune into the touch of your feet in the shoes on the floor or if you are barefoot in the garden really feel the feet on the grass. Be as attentive as possible to what is around you in that present moment. Connecting with the senses can help us get into a soothing state of mind. Try to avoid being on your phone or listening to podcasts or music at these precious times so you can be fully present.

4. If you fancy it…. eat chocolate, drink your favourite tipple but do it mindfully! Really savour the sip or mouthful of your treat at the end of a busy day. Before eating or drinking notice how it feels to hold the foodstuff or the drink in your hands, tune into how it looks, the smell and then slowly consume it really attending to the taste.

5. Finally, energy and inclination permitting make a few notes in a gratitude log. Note three or more specific things that you are thankful for from your day. It could be as simple as remembering the smile you received from your son/daughter when you helped them with something or maybe it’s the yummy dinner you were made by your other half! Keep it simple and specific.

Keep safe during these exceptional times and don’t hesitate to contact me at admin@missionmindfulness.co.uk if you would like any more help or advice. And please feel free to follow Mission: Mindfulness on social media - I’m generally a little more active on Instagram (@mission_mindful_).

I’m obviously not running face-to-face courses at the moment but have some availability for on-line sessions if you feel you would like to know more about mindfulness techniques can help you and your family.

Sending well wishes to all.

Hayley