Mindful Breathing Flowers

Take a breath. Keep Calm. Breathe. When the world sends out it inevitable triggers, they go straight into my nervous system creating mayhem. In the past, I would either retreat into an aggressive silence or fume with enraged frustration, but rarely anything in-between. From the outside, I may look ok (or not!), but there is a storm inside making my stomach ache and my heart hurt. As a parent, regulating this nervous system firestorm has been my biggest mountain to climb, a journey met with so many starts, stops and stumbles. I am not gonna not lie, it’s struggle up Mount Self-Care, and I am trying all kind of things to help me evolve.

During stressful moments, one of the tools I use to calm myself is taking a moment to breathe. A practice called the RAIN Technique can guide me when I am feeling agitated, and keep temper tantrums at bay. You can google RAIN and get a variety of versions of how to use it, but RECOGNIZE, ALLOW, INVESTIGATE AND NURTURE are the four words that guide when I am feeling out of control. Recognize how you are feeling, Allow the feeling to be, Investigate what is going on, and then the most important step, Nurture the feeling, you are ok.

Ok, so this craft and these flowers…Sometimes you made need a little help to focus when you are taking a moment to breathe. By using your finger to trace a flower you can help your mind shift focus. I made these cardboard flowers inspired by the upcoming spring season, and think it would be a great project to work on with a child. Also, this is something children can do to help them regulate when their emotions run high. These can stay in the car or on the dinner table to use during stressful moments to get kids and adults to have a moment to relax.

Check out our Instagram page Here for the Reel showing more.