What is awareness?
Feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or triggered is normal.
With your endless to-do lists, demands, and the emotional weight of trying to meet everyone else’s needs, it’s easy to get stuck in autopilot, reacting, yelling, and letting frustration take over in ways that don’t make you feel like the parent you really want to be.
Why it matters
With Self-Awareness, you create space to notice your thoughts, emotions, and patterns of behavior. You can catch yourself before snapping at your child, recognize your own needs, and respond calmly and patiently. This simple but powerful skill allows you to break free from reactivity, deepen connection with your kids, and parent in a way that feels more intentional and fulfilling.
The truth is you won’t always be able to be the perfect Zen parent, but creating small moments to cultivate awareness of your own body, emotions, and environment can bring more peace to your day.
Try this one-minute guided challenge by Dr. Rick Hanson to take in the good and refocus on what’s working, even when your patience is wearing thin and the snacks are running low.
Put it into practice
Boost awareness with a quick reset in 5 minutes or less:
The Feeling Wheel
Use this helpful wheel of emotions to put words to how you’re feeling, allowing you to better understand and work through these emotions.
Identifying Triggers Worksheet
Jot down triggers when they come up and do a bit of reflection to see how you can respond differently next time.
Guided Meditation for Mindfulness
Put on this 5-minute guided mindfulness meditation to anchor yourself in the present moment even on the busiest of days.
Simple Daily Mindfulness Activity
If you’re short on time, use this simple 5-minute reflection that helps us reflect on the day and look forward to tomorrow.
Rewiring Automatic Thoughts
Follow along with this video and worksheet to rewire automatic negative thoughts to more positive ones.
3-Minute Body Scan Meditation
Feeling pain and stress? Try this 3-minute body scan meditation audio from Headspace.
The Grounding Chair
Feeling the weight of it all? Try this guided relaxation to help you reset in just a few minutes.
The Quieting Reflex
Use this technique that starts with self-awareness to help yourself calm down quickly.
When you have a little more time, try these activities to deepen your awareness:
Mindfulness Bingo
Make mindfulness fun and engaging with this interactive activity that encourages parents to practice being present, reduce stress, and cultivate a sense of calm in everyday life.
The Mind-Body Connection
Unlock the power of your mind and body working together to reduce stress and improve your overall health as a parent.
Awareness of Negative Thoughts Worksheet
Catch yourself falling into negative thinking patterns and learn strategies to shift your mindset, helping you stay calm, present, and positive as a parent.
Being Well Podcast Episodes: Who Am I?
Plug into this list of podcast episodes for quick insights on self-awareness, perfect for squeezing in between school drop-offs and playtime.
Developing a Growth Mindset
Embrace challenges as an opportunity to develop a more adaptive approach to parenting and life.
Journaling To Increase Your Self-Awareness
Reflect inwards with these thought-provoking journaling prompts for the day, week, or month.
Wheel of Awareness
Explore a visual representation of how your mind experiences life using Dan Siegel’s Wheel of Awareness.
Social Media Detox
Step away from the screen with this guided social media detox challenge and reconnect with what really matters — your family and your well-being.
10-Minute Body Scan Meditation
Follow along to this 10-minute YouTube video to tune into how your body feels and find a moment of calm even on the busiest days.
Anxiety Worksheet
Take a moment to reflect on a recent anxious moment and explore how you might approach it differently next time.
Guided Discovery Worksheet
Dive into this interactive worksheet to uncover new insights and perspectives to guide you toward more positive thoughts.
10 Nature Connection Activities
Use the power of nature to quiet the noise of your parenting brain and embrace your “you time”.
RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture
Follow this meditation led by Tara Brach to find calm in the chaos and learn more about yourself.
Read up on awareness
Explore how awareness can support your parenting with these articles:
The Resilient Parent Library
Check out these books for growing more awareness in your parenting:
Research
Because it’s nice to know we’re not just saying this, here’s the research that backs up the power of awareness: