Hello winter! The holidays and cooler weather are officially upon us. And in Southern California at least, we are experiencing both the anxiety of another surge of COVID-19 cases and hope as the first round of vaccines makes its way to our frontline healthcare workers and most vulnerable individuals.
December is the perfect time to explore and practice mindfulness. According to Mindful.org, mindfulness is defined as:
The basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
Working from home or the office, remote learning for your kids, restrictions on family holiday gatherings… These are just a few of the situations that can impact your mindset and physical health. To mitigate the effects of anxiety or feeling overwhelmed, we’ve put together a list of a few kid (and adult) friendly activities and resources to take advantage of. As always, we’ll be sharing helpful tips and activities on our Facebook page throughout the month.
- UCLA’s free mindfulness app includes meditation in both English and Spanish
- Share a holiday book with your kiddo. We found this great read-along version of the “Polar Express”
- Coloring can focus and quiet the mind. Here are some FREE sheets for children and adults.
- Cultivate joy this holiday season using these mindful habits.
- Take a break out of your day for this 10 minute guided meditation
- A guide for mindfulness for children by the NY Times.
