and how a gratitude practice can bring more joy to your life. The definition of gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Benedictine monk, Br. David Steindl-Rast, suggests that two qualities belong in our basic definition of gratitude. The first is appreciation: You recognize that something is valuable to you, which has nothing to do with its monetary worth. The second quality Br. David mentions is that gratitude is gratis: freely given to you. Robert Emmons, perhaps the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, also argues that gratitude has two key components: “First, it’s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.” In her book, Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life, Angeles Arrien writes: “Gratitude is essentially the recognition of the unearned increments of value in… Read More »
How to Create a Mindful Glitter Bottle
This glitter bottle represents how our minds can settle. It is an activity that your kids can use as a mindfulness practice. Why the glitter bottle? We are always looking for tools to calm our kids. This one in particular is extremely calming – they are mesmerizing AND give us a window inside our brain. But first we must explain why we use this glitter bottle. Kids tend to act out when they are struggling and sometimes have difficulty sharing what is going on. When they can’t find the words to explain how they are feeling, we need to be able to demonstrate the connection between our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. This glitter bottle is one of the most powerful visual metaphors for what is going on in our brain and the connection between our feelings, thoughts and behaviors. It allows us to practice mindfulness– the practice of being still… Read More »
Mindful Bedtime Strategies
Do you struggle every night to get your kid/s to bed at a reasonable hour? Are they delaying every possible chance they can? Do they toss and turn or have trouble falling asleep? You are not alone. We too struggle in our home and have been working on many different strategies to help ease bedtime. I know that I want time for myself after a long day and don’t really want to spend the entire evening putting my kid to bed. I know how tired he is after his long day and how he needs a full night sleep as well – he definitely struggles to get up in the morning. Creating Routines After talking to lots of parents, it seems as if the number one advice would be to create a routine and and be consistent. Routines can evolve and change with age and circumstance but kids do so… Read More »
