Staying Calm As A Mom
Staying calm isn’t always easy, especially for us busy moms who have the kids home all day long these days. I have had my moments where I feel like I might just go crazy! I have found some go-to tools to help promote relaxation that I wanted to share with you.
Breathing
I always say the most important thing to do is put on your own oxygen mask first. When we tap into our breath, we are able to calm our nervous system. Our breathing is both sympathetic and autonomic. Most of the time, we aren’t very aware of our breathing; but once we stop and pay attention to it, we can truly change our state of being.
I love the quote, “Never in the history of calm down has anyone calmed down by being told to calm down.” It’s very hard to just will our way into calming down. Instead, slowly inhale through our nose and slowly exhale out your nose. Place your hands on your belly and watch your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe to feel even calmer.
Practice deep full breaths whenever you can and especially when you feel yourself getting frazzled.
Calm Strips
Calm strips are pretty cool! I just discovered these and I have to admit, I’m really loving how they do help me feel more relaxed and at ease. Timothy keeps one on his folder and I see him rubbing it often when he does his schoolwork.
Calm strips have a soft sand touch and can be attached to anything. They leave little or no residue if you choose to move them, and can be reused time and time again.
The strips can be used both by a parent working from home and their child doing distant learning. Calm strips are even being uses by teachers and their students to help with focus and anxiety. They are cool looking, simple, and easy to use adhesives that help with relaxation in a way you wouldn’t have imagined.
ENOF
Getting the kids to eat all their veggies can be a stressful situation and using ENOF makes it so easy!
ENOF is a product containing organic vegetable nutrition that you sprinkle onto, or mix into, other food or drinks. ENOF is made using an innovative technology that traps the phytonutrients in organic spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets, and shiitake mushrooms while they undergo a freeze-drying process.
From cereal, and sandwiches, to soups, stews, beans and rice – you can sprinkle ENOF on pretty much anything you can imagine. Because such a small amount is required, the taste is basically unnoticeable.
ENOF is not intended to replace vegetables—instead, it is intended to help bridge the gap for those who have tried everything but simply cannot get their children to eat vegetables. You can feel more relaxed though and stay calm, cool, and collected next time your kids won’t eat their veggies.
True Nutrition
The better you eat, the better your body feels. True Nutrition offers bulk powders and supplements that you can customize to meet your exact needs. With True Nutrition, you can get exactly what you need to help boost immune support and calmness.
You can choose from a variety of products aimed to help things such as energy/endurance, weight loss, muscle gain, and vitamins/wellness. It’s stressful when you have specific needs and you can’t find the right product. The right products can also help your body function optimally; and when you’re nourished and balanced, it’s so much easier to feel calm and relaxed. I often find I am usually about to snap when I haven’t had a meal or I’m hangry (hungry and angry!).
I am a huge fan of nutritional products that are tasty, easy to use, and well made. The oatmeals especially and the protein powders keep me energized between meals.
Check out their site here to create your own personal formula that will help you keep calm in whatever way you need.
Yoga
Of course, I always have to add in my favorite form of movement. Yoga connects the mind and the body through the breath. I mentioned earlier how the breath is our number one tool for helping us calm down. Yoga helps us move to our breath and use our breath to release any tension in our mind and muscles.
I love vinyasa style which is a fluid flow linking postures and breath, but any style of yoga can help produce a state of calm and well-being. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just a towel or mat. I practice with my boys when we all are feeling stressed and it sure does help us feel better.
AKTIV
I know I feel calmer when I am comfortable. My new favorite leggings come from a Scandanavian company that also makes super comfy outerwear. The evenings get chilly out at the beach; and I love to have a comfortable, cute fleece to put on at the end of the day.
Aktiv leggings are really stylish and flattering as well as feel great to practice yoga in or just hang out in all day. Who else has been living in leggings during quarantine? It’s truly awesome how the right clothing can put us in the right mental state.
I also feel calmer just finding a brand that carries a variety of items I need so I don’t waste time browsing the web (which isn’t very relaxing for me at all).
I hope these tools can help you as well. Let me know if you have any great ideas to share with me!
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!