Creating an Island of Calm Amidst the Chaos of Mom-Life

An island of calm... ohhhh... how lovely does that sound? Do you instantly create a vision of what that looks like? I do. I imagine bright blue skies over an expanse of powdery sand that meets warm turquoise water... there’s a salty breeze that carries the distinct smell of the ocean, and a rhythmic sound of waves softly lapping on the shore. {Sit with that a moment}​

Then boom! Flashback to reality, let me share with you the chaos I’m *actually* sitting in: outside it’s dark, dreary, and the threat of rain has forced us inside, the living room floor is littered with an overabundance of brightly colored toys making sounds and music atop my kids’ giggles and tromping noises (with an occasional fuss and argument thrown in for good measure), and the scent... well, that’s still distinct, but not quite like the ocean... it’s the scent of my oil diffuser being overtaken by a new dirty diaper. #MomLife Where’s that island again?

Curious yet, why I’m having you swoon over an island dream when I know that’s clearly not most of our realities? {It’s definitely not mine}

Because I want you to feel that relaxed calm feeling at some point in your day. I don’t want it to be all noise and dirty diapers (or whatever your chaos is), and I know you don’t either. You deserve to relax. {Say that with me and breathe it in “I deserve to relax”}

That leads us to the question, how can we get more of those good feels in the middle of our real life moments? How do we create our own version of an island of calm amidst the chaos?

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Knowing that time for relaxation doesn’t always come naturally in our busy lives, I would encourage you to make an appointment with yourself (even if it’s only 10 or 15 minutes a day) where you can build in time to decompress. When can you add that into your day? (I use the early a.m. & nap time.) If you need a reminder, set a timer and stick to it until it becomes a natural habit. {You’ll crave it after a while and won’t need an outside prompt}​

It’s also helpful to make space for more free time in your family’s schedule to let the good life happen naturally. Look for simple pleasures in your day, and let them speak louder than the daily disorder that is bound to happen sometimes, because... life. {You know, like that sign... pardon the mess, my kids are making memories}

So, when you have this scheduled time, or find it occurring naturally now that you’ve made a bit of space in your life... what do you do with it?!

Here are a few favorite things to do with 15 {disconnected} minutes:

• Rest & just be... allow your mind to wander & dream
• Follow a guided meditation (I love using Headspace)
• Get outside and engage your senses... listen to the sounds around you, feel the grass in your toes, let the sun warm your face
• Practice relaxation yoga
• Turn on your favorite music and dance
• Practice deep conscious breathing

I hope you’ll use these ideas to create your own island of calm.