Feeling anxious about kids' school this fall? Here are THREE things you can do, today
If you’re like us, you may be feeling anxious about what this fall will bring for our kids. How can we help support them, manage work and online schooling, and take care of ourselves at the same time? With seven kids between us, ranging from elementary to college-age, we know just how you feel. Plans seem to change, daily, and every night brings new reports of schools moving to fully online. Just this week there was a report in the NYT that only 1 in 5 families will have in-person help. With every new report, we face a new bout of deepening overwhelm as we confront so many unknowns.
How can we better steel ourselves against so much uncertainty?
While we can’t control our external circumstances, we CAN control how we respond to them. There are science-proven techniques to help our bodies and minds regulate and calm when we face the unknown. It’s hard to remember, but resourcing ourselves is truly the only way we’re all going to successfully make it through.
Here are three, simple, easily doable practices, all research-based, to do ANY time you start to feel overwhelmed.
1. Take two minutes to silently notice what you’re feeling in your body.
We often hold our emotions (tension, anger, stress) in our bodies without realizing it, which can negatively impact how we feel. In our online guide to the Take Two Journal, we worked with meditation instructor Ray Baskerville to create original guided meditations, including a powerful body scan that walks you through it. If you want to learn more, check out: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessle van der Kolk, MD.
2. Take three deep breaths, making the exhale longer than the inhale.
It sounds so simple, but there’s actually a lot of research behind why this helps regulate our emotional state. Doing this exercise helps calm our vagal nerve (responsible for the mind/body connection) and reduce our fight/flight/freeze response. To learn more: see The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges, the “father” of Polyvagal theory.
Take Two: A Journal for New Beginnings, Photo: Kari Herer
3. Tonight, before bed, write down three things you’re grateful for. Do this every night for 21 days.
Again, so simple and yet this easy practice can have a profound impact on how we feel day-to-day. There is a TON of research about how a gratitude practice begins to rewire our brains (deepening new neural pathways) that lead to feelings of greater contentment. Rick Hanson, a senior fellow at the Berkeley Center for Greater Good, wrote a book on exactly how it works. We also offer 21 days of space in the Take Two Journal if you’re looking for some structure to get started.
Take Two: A Journal for New Beginnings, Photo: Kari Herer
It’s so easy to get busy, overwhelmed, frustrated, maybe even panicked as we face the unknowns of this fall and winter. But try to remember that taking care of yourself is key to keeping everyone afloat.
Try to remember to Notice, Breathe, and Be Grateful.
-Kate, Ellen & Kari
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This blog is created by Take Two: a Journal for New Beginnings, a guided journal that shares tools, activities, and writing prompts designed to build inner-resilience. Published by Chronicle Books.
LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT? We’ve created an online course to guide you through the journal with videos from the co-authors, additional writing prompts, and original guided meditations.
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