15 Tips for Parents and Kids to Take that much Needed Mental Break
min read
Relax and unwind. Not something you’ve been so good at lately? Do your kids need a break too? Do they have a hard time focusing or seem more stressed than usual?
Parents are juggling work, school and making sure their family is happy and healthy. Mental health is oftentimes brushed away in the pursuit of more “important” things. When it comes to health and well-being, the first thing that people think of is physical health. Physical and mental health are equally important components of overall health. Taking steps to add mental breaks into a daily routine is just as important as eating healthy and adding that exercise routine.
Mental health includes our psychological, social, and emotional well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and how we act in our daily lives. It is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Here are more easy ways to TAKE A BREAK! Try some out with your family or schedule some alone time for yourself. Hopefully you will find some favorites and add them to your family’s daily routines.
1. Nap for 10 – 30 minutes
A power nap night be the best reenergizer for you! Get away from any screens and rest your eyes. If you’re someone who can sleep anywhere, grab some sunscreen, head to the backyard and soak up some sun on your Springfree Trampoline.
- Sit in silence
Sitting in silence helps settle your thoughts. Choose to do nothing. Just be.
- Go outside and immerse yourself in nature
Feel the ground or grass underneath your feet and focus on being present on enjoying your environment. Lay on your trampoline, listen to the birds chirp, watch the squirrels play, and bask in the scenery. Nature is linked to positive emotions and decreased stress and anxiety.
4. Try some art therapy
Just 45 minutes of creative activity lessens stress regardless of the person’s artistic talent or experience. Coloring has the potential to reduce anxiety and increase mindfulness. You can find adult coloring books everywhere now. Parents, teens and the younger kids can all color together. Other creative options include: doodle for 1 – 10 mins, play Pictionary with the family, draw with chalk on the trampoline.
- Jump on your Springfree
Just jump. Settle thoughts or don’t think at all - Just have fun and clear your mind.
- Call or get some virtual face time with a family member or friend
Call a loved one or someone you care about that you haven’t caught up with in a while. It helps. Sometimes just hearing their voice might be all you need. Make it a family affair. Have the family gather on the trampoline and call the grandparents or someone you haven’t been able to visit.
- Write down the things you’re grateful for
Identifying the things that have brought you joy is a powerful way to create more joy. It’s not happy people who are grateful, it’s grateful people who are happy. The kids can do it as well and learn to appreciate the little things more.
- Have lunch time outside
Parents and kids alike can avoid the sad desk lunch. Separate yourself from your temporary workspace when you break for lunch. Get away from the desk and screens. Lay out a big blanket on the trampoline and have a picnic lunch. Just a small change in scenery can help boost your energy levels and relieve stress. Reports have shown - Stepping away for lunch can leave people feeling less tense, more enthusiastic, more relaxed and can even better cope with their workload. It makes sense — happy people have been shown to be more productive.
- Workout
Exercise bumps up the production of endorphins, helping you feel less stressed. Many people consider yoga as one of the most effective types of workouts for relieving stress, but there is a large variety of videos online for any type of workout routine that might interest you – maybe Try Springfree’s Jumping Workout.
- Find your Zen
Take time to meditate. If meditation isn’t for you or your kids, simple breathing exercises can help slow your heart rate, which can have an immediate effect on anxiety. Deep breathing exercises can also help refocus energy.
- Jam out
Listen to music for 5 – 30 minutes. Stimulate the right side of your brain with your favorite playlist. Make a new playlist and share it with your family, friends or coworkers. If dancing is second nature in your family, grab the speaker and have a dance contest on the trampoline. Best moves, wins! Music has many psychological benefits, including reducing stress, helping to manage pain, and even helping to curb overeating.
12. Play games on your Springfree (Remember, one jumper at a time. Others can participate in the backyard.)
Play 5-4-3-2-1! In this simple, but very fun game, kids are encouraged to partake in five different physical activities in descending order. For example, you could get them to do 5 jumping jacks, 4 star jumps, three sit ups, two hops and one hand clap. Mix it up and think lots of different activities you can do. Encourage activities that can be performed collaboratively as well to further add to the benefits of this mental break.
Play Keep It Up! Players must keep a beach ball from hitting the ground. Add two or three balls to make it even more fun.
Play Simon Says! An oldie, but a goody.
13. Enjoy nights together
Stargaze on the trampoline, have a popcorn & movie night or enjoy a nice sunset.
14. Satisfy your (and definitely your kids) sweet tooth
Splurge selectively. You don’t want to make a habit of binging every time you’re stressed, but a little dark chocolate can bring on the calm. “It has the perfect combination of fat, sugar, and compounds that stimulate the brain to release endorphins,” says Ann G. Kulze, MD, a family physician in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. “The sugar also kicks up production of the mood-boosting brain chemical serotonin, which can help lower the body’s stress response.”
15. Seriously, turn off your phone (or at least turn ON Do Not Disturb)
Smartphones, in particular, are linked to increased stress, as more and more people feel pressure to respond to messages at all times.
The good news is that you can take action concerning stress. It is OK to take a break! You and your family need the mental breaks as a part of your daily routines. Take a breath, breathe out slowly and hopefully you can add a few of these tips to your break times!
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