MAKING CHORES MINDFUL MOMENTS: SLOW LIVING PRACTICES TO CALM THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
By Courtney and Michael Adamo
One way to find more calm and balance amid the overwhelming busyness of family life is to embrace the daily tasks that keep families organised. Rather than viewing them as dreaded chores, we can see these essential activities as opportunities for mindfulness.
We can choose to give them our full attention and be completely present as we go about doing them. Whether it’s grinding the coffee beans each morning, making beds after breakfast, or wiping down the kitchen counters in the evening, our bodies and minds function better when we act with intention and awareness.
Though it’s tempting and easy to let our minds drift to planning the day ahead or worrying about issues at work (and this does happen!), we try to turn these daily routines into a meditative and restorative practice.
Unlike multitasking, where we might be physically present but mentally elsewhere, this practice is about fully immersing ourselves in the task at hand, noticing the warmth of the dishwater or the fresh scent of laundry, rather than letting our minds race ahead to the next item on our to-do list.
In our house, Courtney has a 20-minute morning routine that commences the second our kids leave for the school bus. She’ll do a quick tidy of the family bathroom, making sure all the towels are hung and toothbrushes have been put away. She starts a load of laundry and vacuums the common areas of the house.
She finds that undertaking these chores with mindfulness helps set a rhythm, resets her mind and body and prepares her for a more purposeful and intentional day. She relishes starting each day with a clean slate, both mentally and physically, before she sits down at her desk to begin work.
This works just as well at any time of day. Every evening before bedtime, we make a quick sweep of the house, making sure toys have been put away, the kitchen benches and table have been wiped down, the laundry room is organised and the clean clothes have been stowed in wardrobes.
Being mindful during these tasks helps us to reconnect with our physical surroundings and truly be present within our home. We find that it also fills us with a sense of gratitude – for the day we’ve just had, the home we are lucky to live in, and the family and friends we are surrounded by.
Finding time for meditation may be challenging with kids, but choosing to turn chores into mindful moments is available to everyone. It’s about more than just reframing something unavoidable or inescapable. It’s about keeping our minds sharp, our senses fully engaged and our gratitude dialled all the way up.
Research shows that mindfulness practices help melt away the day’s stresses, leaving us feeling more centred and calm. And, yes, in this case, it has the added benefit of keeping our homes organised, too.
This is an edited extract from The Family Home by Courtney and Michael Adamo, published by Hardie Grant Books.
MUSE PAPER
ISSUE 09