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We Need a New Mantra: What Will Yours Be?

Mantras are one way to practice mindfulness because we focus on a word or phrase as a way to calm and center the mind. In this sense, mantras help us slow down our brains and allow for more space in breath, mind, and body. YogiApproved.com 

A New Reality
Cancellations. Social distancing. Self-isolation. Stay at home. These phrases are meant to keep us safe, but, at the same time, they are creating an unease in us that we have never experienced before. We all have questions regarding the future, our children’s education, our jobs, the economy, and of course, our health and the health of those around us.  Let’s permit ourselves to take a step back, breathe, and find a new mantra to follow under these new and unfamiliar circumstances.

Ça va bien aller.  It’s gonna be alright.
As a society, we have adopted this mantra to help us through this unprecedented time.  It shows our support for each other, and allows us to feel hope for ourselves and our collective future.

The Kids Will Be Fine
To the alarm of many parents, most teachers, as per the Minister of Education, did not provide work to students over the initial two-week school closure period. This directive had many reasons behind it, but rest assured, educators have been collaborating to prepare recommendations for the weeks to come. Parents will continue to receive guidance to help navigate this challenge. Everyone will have a role to play. Teachers and students will interact in such a way as to keep learning on track. Part of this will involve students becoming more autonomous in their own learning. Some learning will occur in the virtual company of their teacher, but some will also take place independently. But, most importantly, parents will need to parent, they will NOT be expected to become teachers!

You Are Not Alone
1,543,446,152 – That is the number of students who are at home in the world! Although everyone’s experience is different, we are all in the same boat.  

Boredom Is Good
This phrase can be confusing in a world where our kids are always occupied with organized activities. But there are developmental advantages to being bored! In this 4-minute video from Breakfast Television the pediatric psychiatrist Dr Monique Jericho explains how boredom is actually good for the brain and can help lead children to develop strategies for themselves later on as teenagers and as adults.

You Got This
Yes, it is an anxious and uncertain time. Just remember that we can adapt, adjust and overcome anything. Remember the first day of daycare, of kindergarten, of high school.  Those transitions impacted the rhythms of our work lives, family routines, and home schedules. These were all major shifts in our lives and the lives of our little ones. In time, and with patience, we will find balance, and hopefully a mantra, among this initial chaos. 

Which mantra will you choose?