Wake up before your kids in the morning and relish the silence (if you have little ones, this might be your only opportunity, so enjoy it).
If you have an early riser this clock will save your life (as it did mine). You’re welcome.
Sit quietly for five minutes outside. Alone. Without an electronic device.
Savor your favorite ice cream mindfully. Double scoop. Notice the color, feel the cool, smooth texture on your tongue, taste the subtle flavors. Drop the guilt.
Find a new (to you) park and go for a mindful walk. Stroll. Breathe. Observe the flora and fauna.
Choose one typically mundane daily habit and turn it into a mindful break.
Step out of your comfort zone and try a new, novel summer activity. Stand up paddle boarding, knitting, cooking, painting, zip lining, geocaching anyone?
Do nothing. Literally. Just sit there. Let your mind wander and see where it takes you.
Start an annual summer tradition. Camp out for the night in your own back yard. Stay up late and look at the stars. Pizza and movie night with a summer-themed movie.
Take a mental picture. Savor a moment and lock in the memory, noticing as many details as possible. In order to do this, you first need to slow down the pace. (see #3).
Go screen-free for an afternoon. Or an entire day. Include the family. Perhaps you make it a weekly habit.
Get wet. Ocean, pool, lake, sprinkler. You are the only one who cares what you look like in a bathing suit. Everyone else is busy judging themselves. Your kids just want you to play. Join in whenever possible.
Grow your own produce and eat it mindfully. Strawberries in a planter on the patio. Tomatoes in a small raised bed. Watch them sprout and sample them right off the vine.
Build or create something. A birdhouse, a cake, a family journal. This bench is on my summer bucket list.
Stretch, move, dance, swim, strike some yoga poses. Kids, of course, love to get in on the action as well.
Last, but not least, put your own oxygen mask on first. Commit to five minutes a day of meditation. Experiment with the best time of day and make it a daily habit.
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