What is emotional balance?
Parenting comes with constant demands, and keeping your cool can feel impossible at times. When your emotions boil over, it’s harder to stay patient and give your kids the calm guidance they need from you.
By practicing emotional balance, you’re not only tuning into your feelings, but also creating space to process them, allowing you to respond calmly, think clearly, and stay grounded.
Why it matters
Cultivating emotional balance helps you avoid impulsive reactions and connect with your kids from a more calm and centered you.
You might remember “Stop, Drop, and Roll” for emergencies. Now try “Stop, Drop, and Breathe” for those moments you feel like you’re about to snap. Alivia Irwin, LCSW, shares this quick technique from Dr. Laura Markham to help you regain calm in the heat of parenting.
Put it into practice
Reset your calm with these quick, practical strategies:
Heathy Coping Skills Cheat Sheet
Check out this simple go-to guide, packed with effective strategies to manage stress and emotions with ease.
The STOP Technique
Use this mindfulness STOP technique to interrupt a chaotic, dysregulated mindset and move forward with greater intention.
Happiness Calendar
Get inspired by this calendar by the Greater Good Science Center to incorporate simple moments of happiness, bringing more positive energy into your parenting and family life.
Positive Visualization
Discover how to create a vivid mental picture of your “happy place”, to boost motivation and reduce stress, helping you approach parenting challenges with a more positive mindset
Reframing Negative Thoughts
Complete this reflective worksheet to reframe negative thoughts into more positive ones, helping you approach parenting with renewed clarity.
A Meditation on Positive Thinking
Tune into this guided meditation that encourages you to focus on uplifting thoughts and visualize a brighter future, offering a quick mood boost.
A Meditation on Gratitude
Use this when you need a reminder of the many things you can be thankful for and let it guide your own gratitude meditation.
The Cognitive Shuffle
Mind racing and can’t fall asleep? Do the cognitive shuffle to help your brain transition into a calm state.
The Voo Sound
Tap into the soothing power of vocal vibrations to help regulate your breathing and give you a sense of calm.
Enhance your emotional balance with these (slightly) longer activities:
7 Visualization Techniques to Calm Your Anxious Mind
Try these seven simple visualization practices to calm your anxious mind and feel more grounded as a parent.
Sensory-Motor Checklist
Fill out this checklist to discover ways to boost your energy or calm your mind, helping you stay grounded and present as a parent.
Challenge Automatic Negative Thoughts
Learn the game-changing technique of reframing your thinking to promote a more positive and balanced mindset.
How To Be Happier
Use this worksheet to identify actionable strategies and habits that can enhance your overall satisfaction and joy.
Cognitive Restructuring Worksheet
Use this worksheet to challenge unhelpful thoughts and reframe them, helping you shift toward a more positive mindset and greater emotional balance.
Gratitude Reflection Worksheet
Improve your overall well-being and shift your focus to the positive by reflecting on what you’re thankful for.
What Went Well?
Reflect on the positive events of the week and the actions that contributed to them, helping you build on them for future achievements.
What Are My Strengths?
Discover your personal attributes and how they enhance your parenting and daily life with this guided worksheet, designed to help you identify and celebrate your unique strengths.
A Calming and Grounding Mindfulness Meditation Practice
Bring yourself back to the present and restore calm iamid daily chaos with this quick grounding meditation.
15-Minute Yoga Practice
Shake out the stress and tension that builds up in your body with this 15-minute yoga flow and stretch session, perfect for staying active even on busy days.
Activities for Self-Regulation
Find a self-regulation activity that works for you and your parenting schedule with this handy list of ideas.
Mindful Breathing Exercises
Take a few minutes to center yourself with these mindful breathing exercises, designed to calm your mind and restore balance in any situation.
Stress Diary
Track your stress levels and triggers with this template to uncover negative patterns and discover healthier ways to manage daily pressures.
Emotion Exposure
This exercise helps you acknowledge uncomfortable feelings like guilt and shame, leading to emotional clarity and intentional parenting.
Radical Acceptance
Embrace life’s challenges by using this worksheet to practice accepting things as they are, helping you navigate personal and parenting challenges with a sense of peace and clarity.
Read up on emotional balance
Explore helpful articles that support your journey toward emotional balance:
The Resilient Parent Library
Check out these books for bringing more emotional balance into 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 emotional balance: