Gratitude and Mindfulness
by Kris Leslie
Like many of you, my family is home. All day. Every day. My kids are home doing online school. I’m working from home for my second job teaching college courses online. Sleep schedules have gone out the door for my kids. They are athletes so exercise usually comes naturally to them. Motivation seems to have leveled off, though, so I need to give a little nudge and suggest maybe they need to get out of their rooms after a couple of days.
Most of us have found ourselves in new situations, and feeling disbelief in how our lives have been turned upside down. We are taking care of the kids, helping with schoolwork (new found appreciation for teachers), cooking more meals, working from home (or maybe you are laid off which creates the financial stress), and trying to be creative in what to do in the down time. Mom, I’m bored! Trying to juggle this new normal has been a little overwhelming for me, and maybe you are feeling the same way. I have to admit, I had a little breakdown last weekend.
I decided to do some yoga to be mindful and de-stress, and I started crying. I mean ugly crying. As I kept doing my yoga poses and ugly crying, I was hoping one of my teenagers didn’t decide to get up early that day. After my final pose, I realized how much better I felt. I laid on the floor to do some meditation and deep breathing as I always do. My focus turned to what I was grateful for and that re-directed my energy to positive thoughts.
On a daily basis, I have taken at least a few minutes to focus on gratitude and do some deep breathing. This helps practice mindfulness too. When we think about what we are grateful for, we are present in the moment. Our distractions of stress and anxiety move out of our thoughts. We approach each day with a better attitude, and that will trickle down to the people in your home.
So let me ask you, what are you grateful for today? Put a smile on your face, take some deep breaths, and savor the moments of being present in positive thoughts.
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