Being a mom, especially to young kids, can be overwhelming. My kids are teenagers now but I remember the days of having 4 kids under 7 (actually I don’t remember those days very well, they passed by in kind of a blur).
One of the reasons I started momAgenda was that, at that time in my life, I was on a seemingly endless quest for peace. Peace in my home, in my mind, in my soul.
What I’ve learned since then is that finding peace involves having an organized schedule, for sure, but it involves so many other things as well.
Here are a few of the things I’ve learned to do every day (ok most days) in order to feel peaceful no matter what craziness is going on in my life.
Exercise
I used to be a sporadic exerciser, stepping it up only when I felt like my jeans were getting tight. Then I realized that there is a direct link between my exercise habits and my moods.
Now, it takes a major conflict to make me miss a day, and it’s not because I want to fit into my jeans. It’s because I want to feel good.
Meditate
Every day, I sit on my bed, set my iPhone timer for 10 minutes, and focus on nothing but my breathing. Those 10 minutes pay off later in the day when I inevitably get triggered by something or other; what meditation gives me is space.
Space to respond instead of react. Space to detach from unpleasant experiences and simply observe them, rather than getting caught up in them. Space to simply be here now in the present, rather than worried about the future or anxious about the past.
Gratitude
This is not something I do in any formal way…it’s more like an attitude, a mindset I try to cultivate all the time.
If you are reading this, you have access to the internet, a roof over your head, as well as clothing and food and clean water. All of us have so much more than millions of people in the world. Taking a moment to be grateful for those, as well as other gifts, puts everything else in perspective.
Surrender
This can be a tough one when times are more challenging. But I believe the definition of pain is wanting things to be different than they actually are.
Surrender means accepting things as they are, rather than fighting them or wasting energy wishing for things to be different. You can’t control other people and you can’t control outside events…you can only control the way you choose to handle them.
Nourish Yourself
I don’t just mean your body…I mean your soul. Nourish your body with healthy foods that make you feel calm, happy, and energized. Nourish your soul with activities that do the same.
For me, it’s talks with close friends, my weekly dance classes, and time spent with my kids. If I fill my soul with each of these, every week, I know I can feel peaceful no matter what happens.
What about you? What do you do to feel peaceful no matter what happens in life?