30-second mental health exercises for cooped up parents

If you’re a busy parent dealing with a cramped and chaotic household, you might not have the luxury of spending a lot of time on your mental health. You might have kids who need attention, bills to worry about, and a house to keep clean and free from unseen virus particles.

Fortunately, taking care of yourself don’t have to take a long time. In fact, I usually recommend short moments of mindfulness, repeated many times per day, rather than one large marathon session. So instead of trying to squeeze in a 30-minute meditation, you can simply do 5 or 10 short “moments” of mindfulness, spread throughout your day.

Here are 5 simple and quick ways to get rid of stress and find more calm in your day:

1. Start your day with an intention:

The act of setting an intention itself is a form of meditation. An intention can be a single word, like “presence” or “connection”, or it can be a longer phrase like “I want to show up for my family and be an example of how to care for others in this time of need.” The 5 or 10 seconds it takes to think of and reflect on your intention are moments where you are hardwiring those wholesome qualities into your mind.

2. Practice mindful cleaning.

As you wash your dishes or clean and tidy your house, see if you can drop into your body and feel whatever physical sensations are arising — warm water, the feeling of the sponge, etc. Even a few seconds on noticing sensations counts as a mindfulness practice, and is a great way to let go of any rising tension.

3. End the day with 3 gratitudes.

Get in the habit of reflecting on what went well in your day, or what are you grateful for. This trains the mind to shed your worries and resentments, and instead strengthens the mind through appreciation. The more you practice this, the more you will be on the lookout for what’s good, and you will start to experience abundance and gratitude everywhere.

4. Move your body.

When stress and anxiety are building up, one of the best strategies for calming down your nervous system is to move your bodu. This can be as simple as taking 30 seconds to do a few pushups and squats in your room, or it can be going for a brisk walk around the block (practicing social distancing of course). Whatever gets your blood pumping will help ease the tension.

5. Take a mindful breather.

Download a meditation app (like Insight Timer or The Waking Up app), and take a 1 or 10 minute mindful breather with a guided meditation. Let your family know that you are going to meditate for a few minutes and to not disturb you until you come out of your room. My recommendation: get in the habit of doing this first thing in the morning before anyone gets up.

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Now here’s what I want you do to, decide right now which of these you want to put into practice TODAY. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that reading about mindfulness is that same as doing it. And after you’ve decided which practice to do, share this article with a loved one. Instead of spreading fear, let’s spread resources around mental health and well-being.