Snow Day Mindfulness

I have 5 boys ranging from ages 8 to 19. Every single one of them loves a snow day. It's a freebie. A day where regular rules just don't seem to apply. A day for hot chocolate and cookie baking. Sledding and snow ball fights. Building snowmen and snow forts. And then more hot chocolate. And more cookies.

And then a meltdown. Every snow day should have a least one great emotional meltdown, no?

Maybe not.

The emotional meltdown is hard on everyone. Those watching, those trying to help and especially those having the meltdown.

And it comes out of the blue, as always. A speck of snow in the eye, a sip of hot chocolate that was too hot, a marshmallow that melted too quickly, a snowman that toppled over... it could be anything and everything.

It just simply means that all of the exciting emotions of the strange and fun day are a wee bit overwhelming. And they have to be released somehow.

Here's some fun and possibly better ways to for emotional release on a snow day. Ultimately, they many not all help when you have a house full of kids, like I do, but they may decrease the severity of a meltdown and help to restore calm a little quicker.

1. Snowga: Bundle up for this one, snow in the cracks of clothing and down the neck is a possibility...but on compacted snow, it's a little better. Practice yoga positions with your snow suit on. Not only is it relaxing to stretch your body, it is also very funny to attempt poses in a snow suit. My boys usually end up in Corpse pose pretty quickly...flat on their backs with smiles on their faces.

2. And flat on your back is great for some deep breathing. In for 5 seconds, out for 5 seconds. Or us a tree or cloud or house as a shape to trace with your mittened fingers. Up on side of the tree as you breathe in, down the other as you breathe out. Around the cloud as you breathe in, around the cloud as you breathe out.

3. Or lay there with your eyes closed and listen to the sounds around you. Feel the cold air on your cheeks. Maybe be lucky enough to feel warm sun on your face. Be mindful of your surroundings.

4. Need to move a little? Make snow flake designs with your boot prints. Do some slow motion long jump - see who can jump the farthest into fresh snow. Jumping Jacks in full snow suit is also pretty amusing.

Any activity that is connecting your body awareness to your brain so that you can take notice of how you are feeling is mindfulness. When you are able to notice that your breathing slows while doing calm stretching, you're aware. When you are able to be quiet enough to notice the sounds around you, you're aware. When you are able to notice that your frustration or excitement has decreased and you feel more peaceful, you're aware.

Activities that build awareness help us to learn about ourselves. They teach us how to regulate when we're feeling those heightened emotions and once we have a few of those activities or tools, we're able to start using them on our own, without prompts from a parent... or from our kids who have noticed that we're dis-regulated.

And parents, it's not just our kiddos who have the snow day meltdowns... we are perfectly capable of having our own moments of extreme emotional dis-regulation, with the need for calming mindfulness activities of our own... and no, a bottle of wine doesn't count in this case.

Have fun with these ideas. Be creative in how you embrace self-awareness and noticing your thoughts and body movements. Watch how your kids experiment with this. Did they learn anything new about themselves? Did they find a new tool that works for them? Did they connect with you in a special way on a special day? Did they learn from you that you are also willing to work on your own self-regulation? (PS... that's huge)

Also... (here's the disclaimer) dress appropriately for your weather and temperature. I happen to live in Coastal British Columbia, where snowfall is a once monthly event... hence the snow days...go ahead and mock us... so generally, we don't need a lot of extra layers for outside play. However, if you live in extremely cold, snowy places... maybe try these things inside. Or in the very least, safely limit your outside time.

And then, after you've been cold and mindful.. enjoy another hot chocolate and bake some cookies. Happy Snow Day!