mindfulparenting

Deepak Chopra: on how to not be overwhelmed by fear and anxiety

Fear, unease and anxiety around the current COVID-19 pandemic remains constant, and can cause strong emotions in adults and children. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger.

When parents have strategies to stay calm, kids can stay calm… and Dr. Deepak Chopra has lots to say on this topic.

Families are interrelated systems and kids take cues from how parents position information, their tone of voice, their sense of urgency… and their overall optimism. Even in the presence of great challenge.

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Dr. Deepak Chopra talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how to cope with the global threat posed by coronavirus, the parallel "pandemic of panic," and how to not be overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. Comparing it to past pandemics and wars, he says the COVID-19 outbreak is an invitation to stop denying our shared humanity and finally recognize our power to use our creativity to save ourselves.

Listen to this insightful and calming podcast here…

Rethinking your child’s relationship with screens during the pandemic (National Geographic)

Rethinking your child’s relationship with screens during the pandemic (National Geographic)

As COVID-19 continues to upend family routines across the globe, it’s also intensifying our relationship with media in unprecedented ways. But to all the parents wracked with worry about letting their kids watch TV while cooped up at home, experts say: Relax…

Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus (Child Mind Institute)

Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus (Child Mind Institute)

COVID-19 has changed our lives in ways we never would have imagined. Kids, at this unique time, may be feeling extra worried (especially if they already have an anxiety disorder). Fortunately, there are things we can do to help our kids cope - including providing creative outlets to express how they’re feeling in an open way. Check out Kidevolve’s silly and enticing IMAGINARY FRIEND DRAWING EXERCISE (Course 7.3: Joy & Energy) which gives kids a super fun outlet to draw their inner monsters and let their imaginations run wild to a whacky array of musical cues in a game-like setting. Get your coloured pencils, markers and papers ready! You might even think about doing this exercise with your kids and then discussing everyone’s monsters afterwards… when you're finished, you might just have a new friend (who's been waiting for you all this time!).

Parents: Staying calm & keeping kids at safe social distance too (CNN)

Parents: Staying calm & keeping kids at safe social distance too (CNN)

With the advent of the coronavirus, and our rapidly changing responding world, many parents are wondering about playdates, programs and neighbourhood play, especially for kids (many now cooped up at home & off school for weeks), while we all do our part to “flatten the curve”. Shall our kids be engaged in close physical play with neighbours and friends right now? What kids of playdates and activities should be restricted? And how do we make sure kids can get outdoors (and be social and physical - very important) without contradicting the work adults are doing as we stay home from work to self-isolate, suspend businesses, cancel events and kid’s programs?

3 Kid-Friendly Meditations Your Children Will Love (The Chopra Center)

3 Kid-Friendly Meditations Your Children Will Love (The Chopra Center)

Giving kids the tools to help them fend off negative thoughts and behaviors, build self-confidence, focus, and treat others and themselves with respect and appreciation is a gift they will have for the rest of their lives. Yet, less than 2% of kids in North America know how to meditate. Don’t know how to dive in? Try out these 3 simple practices to introduce kids to meditation and mindfulness… and don’t forget to check out what’s new in Kidevolve’s Imaginarium Podcast- first-of-their-kind audio tracks that get kids turned on to mindfulness in a totally novel, easy, super-fun way.

10 year old Kidevolve kid-tester Ella interviews Jeff Warren!

10 year old Kidevolve kid-tester Ella interviews Jeff Warren!

Ever wondered what it takes to create one of Kidevolve’s super engaging Creative Mind Journey audio tracks or why kids like them so much? Check out our second podcast where 10 year old Ella Davies interviews our lead creator Jeff Warren about his favourite Kidevolve characters and why he thinks learning mindfulness is cool for kids of all ages.

Jeff and Ella find a comfortable groove, chatting and sharing information about why mindfulness is important and how it can help kids learn more about what’s going on inside.

How Compassion Could Be the Cure for Chronic Stress (Goop)

How Compassion Could Be the Cure for Chronic Stress (Goop)

This much we know: Taking deep breaths relieves stress in your body; compassion relieves stress in relationships. Understanding that both are psychophysiological phenomena can impact how we parent and how we teach the next generation to function better in the world. Also, we need to realize that not every child is born with the same compassion ‘set-point’, so helping kids build and enhance what they start with is essential for healthy communities in the future.

Mindful Games Activity Cards (by Susan Kaiser Greenland & Annaka Harris)

Mindful Games Activity Cards (by Susan Kaiser Greenland & Annaka Harris)

There are, of course, many ways to introduce kids to Mindfulness meditation. We’ve discovered this deck of 55 innovative mindfulness games for kids, brought to you by Susan Kaiser Greenland (author of Mindful Games and The Mindful Child) and Annaka Harris (author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind  and the children's book I Wonder).