Some days, while I am busy doing something else (working, eating, doing the dishes, tidying up, playing with my daughter), I am also thinking:
– what should I prepare for dinner?
– what did I say we needed from the supermarket again?
– I need to find my to-do list- what was on it again?
– maybe I should put some music on
– maybe I should check my phone.🤯🤯🤯
That’s NORMAL, you have a child to look after, a house to keep up, a business to run, you’re thinking.
Why should something that’s sending my stress levels through the roof be considered as normal though? I could be doing all the things I need to do without a “busy brain”: a brain that is breathing less because it’s constantly racing from one thing to another, triggering a stress response, even if the thoughts aren’t stressful on their own.
Does that sound familiar? To be honest, I think that’s one of the reasons people are so hooked on Netflix and the like: it’s because while they’re watching something their thoughts aren’t racing, perhaps for the first time that day (there are other issues with screens such as over-stimulation, but that’s for a different post).
How can you bring more moments like this in your life? Here are some of the things that help me:
👉Phone breaks: Personally I find that taking a break from my phone by putting it in another room for a while allows me to have a different, more present experience. If it’s within reach, it’s so tempting to grab it and google/buy/send text/scroll down.
👉Quick body scan: I stop what I’m doing, fix my posture and focus on the feeling in different parts of the body, one at a time.
👉Mindfulness: Bring your senses into whatever it is you’re doing: washing the dishes? What does it feel like to have the water on your hands? The lather? Putting the laundry back into drawers? Notice the sound of the drawer opening and closing.
Multi-taking is a mum’s badge of honour (and a necessity), but it doesn’t mean we need to suffer through it.
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