For Parents: Calming Yourself During Outbreak

Learn and Practice	What?	How?
Monitoring	Pay attention to negative thoughts and feelings.	Check in with your mind: do you feel like screaming? crying?
Self-care	Relationships: spouse, family, friends, mentors, other parents Body-food, sleep, exercise Uncluttered mind Uncluttered time and space	Phone: Video-chat, text, voice Video conference Social media Walk or workout Breathing, mindfulness, prayer Use: calendar, to-do list Find: Friend to be declutter buddy
*Breathing	Find your breath to calm your mind	Relaxed, seated position Breathe in to the count of 4 Breathe out to the count of 7
*Mindfulness	Practice “loving kindness” to reduce worries and anxieties	When relaxed, recite: “May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.” Pray within your faith tradition
Self-kindness	Replace self-criticism with self-understanding and patience.	“Try again. Everyone has bad days.”

Jillian Bailey
Human Development and Family Science doctoral student

Other source: Active Parenting First Five Years

Extension