Getting Ready for Back to School Using 3 Simple Mindfulness Exercises

If you have kids, the next few weeks is all about getting them ready to go back to school.

This is stressful under normal circumstances, but in 2020, it is a completely new challenge.

The issue with stress is that we tend to get completely wrapped up in worries about the future and most of them don't actually come true.

Further to which, this worry doesn't do much to solve the challenge we are facing, and in fact distracts us from dealing with it in a productive manner.

Trust me, I know this from first hand experience and it is the reason I got into mindfulness in the first place.

I have found mindfulness helpful in allowing me to return back to the present moment in a calm and focused way, which is more productive mindset to solve challenges.

As we head into the back to school season, I have reflected on a few mindfulness exercises that I used in the 20-minute virtual mindfulness recharges that I have run for different organizations this year.

I have picked the following three exercises that I think would be most helpful for you as you prepare for your families going back to school.

Send me a quick note or leave a comment below if you find the exercises helpful and would like some additional ones.

Exercise #1 - Deep Breathing

If there is one fundamental mindfulness skill that I hope everyone could learn it is the physiological power of deep breathing.

When we are stressed, we breath fast and shallow and the best way to induce a sense of calm is to take a few slow deep breaths.

The Triple 5 Breath is easy to do anytime and anywhere and can help calm the body down.

You just need to inhale for a 5 count, exhale for a 5 count and repeat this 5 times.

You should immediately feel a little bit more calm after this deep breathing exercise.

Exercise #2 - Body Scan

Another way to immediately interrupt our flurry of stressful thoughts about the future is to tune into our body.

One way to do that is to simple just notice where you are making contact with your seat or chair and also notice where your feet are making contact with the ground.

Then take a deep breath and as you exhale notice your facial muscles and jaw softening and your shoulders relaxing.

Again you should feel a sense of calm take over and find yourself in the present moment ready to take actionable steps to improving your situation instead of mind wandering in the future.

Exercise #3 - The "It's Going to Be OK!" Mantra

A final way that we can interrupt our incessant worries about the future is to repeat a mantra.

A mantra is a word or series of words that can act as a positive affirmation.

It is harder to hold a negative thought if you are saying something positive to yourself.

We often use "letting go" or "release" to let go of our problems, but I have found that something a bit more proactive like "It's Going to Be ok!" repeated with conviction works well.

Each time you notice your mind wandering to worry about the future, silently say "It's Going to Be OK!".

Over time, the more you practice, the more effective it will be and who knows, you might actually start to believe it.

Closing Thoughts

The reality is that these are challenging times for us all, whether we have children going back to school or not.

We cannot control our external environment, but we can work on improving our response and reaction to it.

Mindfulness is a great practice to improve our sense of internal control.

If you are interested in learning more about how it works or obtaining additional exercises that can help you manage stress, leave a comment below or send me a note.

Also, I am also hosting 3 complimentary virtual 20-minute mindfulness recharges for teams this fall in case you think your team would benefit from practicing some of the exercises that I have shared here.

May you be kind to yourself in the coming weeks.