This pandemic has brought on some additional stressors for parents. Many of us are finding ourselves trying to ‘manage’ a house, that we aren’t used to being in all the time, while trying to educate children and fill in the gaps of every other resource that offered us support. Wow, this can be overwhelming! Let’s first take a step back and just say; great job for making it this far parents; you have a lot on your plate! We can take some simple steps to support our families’ mental wellness without adding another to-do to the never ending list. I am finding Mindfulness the easiest support for me personally during these challenging times. Many have heard of Mindfulness an increasingly popular practice to help reduce stress, anxieties, and depression. The purpose of Mindfulness is to build moment-to-moment awareness of our thoughts and feelings through a non-judgmental lens. Head over to the parent Emotional Regulation tab to read more, and access a videos on Mindfulness. Here are some Mindful Dinner Activities to try at the dinner table: A dinner table conversation to help practice mindfulness is ‘mindful eating.’ This can be done in two stages. At the first dinner everyone take turns taking a bite of food and spending 15 seconds in silence focusing on the taste and texture of the food. At the end of the 15 seconds go around the table and share your tastes and textures. At your second dinner focus on ‘mindful consumption.’ Each family member pick one dinner ingredient and when it is your turn share; where you think the food came from, how it travelled to your plate, who or what helped it get there. Both of these dinners are easy ways to practice being present in the moment as a family, and also a great distraction from the present pandemic. For more “dinner table conversations” check out @the.mamatribe where a new video idea is released every day of the week. Comments are closed.
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