We’re winding each other up.

Pushing each other’s buttons.

As only family can.

Until we’re on the ceiling.

Screaming blue murder. And worse.

And somehow blaming our kids.

BECAUSE they won’t calm down.

They can’t calm down.

When truly it’s all of us, wound so tight with the endless hurry scurry of a world that’s demands we’re busy. All the time.

And that’s why they don’t work.

For MOST of us.

All those calm down methods. You suddenly need a special qualification. Or a class. Or training for.

They just become another excuse to get busy.

To complicate stuff.

Yoga. Mindfulness. Meditation.

Whatever the latest thing is …

When ALL we ALL need is simple.

All we all need is enough time TOGETHER to feel the calm and joy of:

• Being in the moment
• Soothing ourselves physically with repetitive work
• Balancing our bodies
• Belonging to each other

And how do we do that?

NOT with fancy exercises.

Just old school. Peeling spuds. Washing the car. Climbing trees.

Together.

NOT as chores to be ticked off on some ghastly chart.

And artificially rewarded.

But as a whole family.

All up close. Tight.

And MINUS our phones!

All we need is to sprinkle a handful of these into every single day …

30 Lovely Ways To Calm Down Together

• Wash the car
• Brush up leaves
• Clean the windows
• Climb trees
• Knead pizza dough
• Roll pastry
• Play hide and seek
• Plant seeds
• Ride bikes
• Sand some old furniture
• Peel potatoes
• Sweep the floor
• Balance on walls
• Brush the dog
• Cut out cookies
• Pod peas
• Play hopscotch
• Wash up by hand
• Scrape carrots
• Feed the birds
• Make crumble
• Sing an epic song – one everyone knows that goes on and on 🙂
• Walk the block
• Pick fruit
• Mow the lawn
• Skip
• Dust the shelves
• Play clapping games
• Polish furniture
• Play an old, well loved, battered board game you all know and loves

Five minutes here. Ten minutes there.

Without any fancy preparation.

Or fuss. And bother. And faffing.

Without books. Or guides. Or tutorials.

Naturally.

And then we can sit back and watch calm grow …

Don’t believe me?

Think it sounds like nonsense?

Well. There’s science behind it all. Huge loads of it.

So try it … because it’s easy.

And you never know.

I might just be on to something.

And with very little effort.

The whole family could be a whole lot calmer.

And a whole lot happier.

Deep down inside.

Seriously. I hope this helps.

If it struck a chord, you might also enjoy these:

• Understanding Childhood Anxiety
• How To Build Kids Confidence
• Helping Kids With Transitions
• Helping Kids Who Hate School
• 5 Simple Ways To Slow Down
• 7 Habits Of Good Enough Parents

Photos: Party with Friends – Happy Life by Marco Verch and kids drawing by verkeorg and boy with flower by rawpixel under Creative Commons 2.0