10 Ways to Find Peace In Your Homeschool Day

I don't know about you but lately I feel as though life is hectic, a bit fast paced, and utterly trying.  I find that I am living with a real sense of urgency about our days and our life and I don't like it.  At all!

I'm struggling to find that calm happy place in life that I used to know and love so well.  I am trying to objectively look at life and figure out where the stress lies.

Are we doing too much?  Am I doing too much?  Where can we drop things and what can we put off for later?  Are we finding time for fun?

These are all questions I've been asking myself for a few days now.


I'm consciously trying to slow our lives down, find peace in our days, and enjoy the little moments.  

We used to have a pretty laid back lifestyle and, while I mostly still do think that. I HAVE found a few ways that we have allowed our lives to become cluttered with excess activities and projects that we don't really need or care about.

I have signed us up for a few things here and there just to have something fun and new to do; which is great but I have to remember not to do that to often.

We like our lazy, laid back schedule and lifestyle and I am taking intentional steps to get back there. 



Here are 10 ways WE find peace in our homeschooling day:


1.  Embrace nature-- The days we feel the most peaceful are those days we head to the beach or go for a hike in the woods.  We enjoying picnicking in the park and soaking up the sunshine. When we loose ourselves in nature it's like time stops, the to do list fades away and we are able to live in the moment.  We begin to relish in all the tiny miracles of finding perfect sea shells, seeing unfurling ferns growing on the side of the side of the trail, and watching an animal scurry or fly by.


2.  Find a routine but don't get stuck in a rut-- We enjoy having a nice rhythm to our days but have a tendency to get stuck in a rut.  When that happens we often make changes just to make changes and that is not a good thing.

3.  Visit with friends and family-- We often are at peace when we're laughing with family and friends.  Time seems to stand still and we focus on the memories we're making, the fun we're having, and the stories being told.

4.  Live for the moment-- Often my peace is robbed when I'm preoccupied with everything else that's waiting for me; if we're working on schoolwork I'm thinking of the laundry that's waiting to be folded.  When I'm folding laundry I'm thinking of getting dinner started.  When I'm cooking dinner I'm thinking of getting back to the computer and working on my blog... I'm always thinking of the next thing on my to do list and that is the surest way for me to loose sight of that peace.  When I can focus on the now and live in the moment life is more enjoyable.  The laundry will wait.  Dinner can be a s simple as a bowl of cereal or a sandwich; something made at the spur of the moment.

5. Leave yesterday's struggles behind-- Nothing robs the peace of my day quite like worrying about how awful a lesson went the day before or how much the kids bickered and drove me crazy.  I often get lost in thinking about what happened, what went wrong, and what we could have done better.  While it does help to reflect on this occasionally when I focus on yesterday's struggles too much they rob today of it's happiness.   Often it's best to leave those struggles behind and start each day fresh.

6.  Focus on strengths and not weaknesses-- As a homeschooling mom I need to know where my kids strengths and weaknesses lie but it is easy to focus on their weaknesses.  When they struggle with an area of learning I naturally want to help them gain skills in that area but sometimes they are just not yet ready to learn new skills. Focusing on their weaknesses instead of their strengths rob us both of happiness and peace.

7.  Learn to say No to others-- When I sign us up for every field trip, activity, and outing that is offered we are saying no to other opportunities. Opportunities to relax, rejuvenate, and refresh.  It's great that we have so many options open to us but I need to be more intentional about saying no unless it's something we are really excited about or interested in.

8.  Stop worrying about tomorrow-- It is so hard for me not to get caught up in worries over the future.  Knowing my kids' future successes or failures could be my fault due to what I'm teaching them can really weigh me down.  But when I get caught up in worrying about the future it's impossible for me to focus on the now and enjoy the moments we're living.

9. Create something-- Creating something whether it's an arts and crafts project, planting a seed or making a recipe; we find peace in creating.  There's a certain form of magic in being able to turn paints and paper into an enjoyable picture.  There is magic in putting a seed in dirt and watching a plant grow.  There is magic in combining four, sugar, and butter into yummy cookies, brownies, or waffles.  All that magic creates peace and happiness.


10.  Embrace change-- I am easily stressed out by all the changes there are in this life that I can not control.  I do not like change and I resist change.  I know that life is always changing though and I need to learn to embrace change.  We are all much happier when we learn to go with the flow; when we stop worrying about how life's changes will impact our plans and just embrace what is, worrying won't change anything and just robs today of it's happiness.

How do you find peace?

Comments

  1. So glad you commented on Psychowith6. Found this article and LOVE it. Pinned and sharing on Facebook.

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  2. This is a fantastic list! I especially relate to #1 and #9 as those are our go-to activities that we love to incorporate into our days. Right now it's definitely #8 that can rob me of my peace. But I think we moms are natural worriers! Lately I find peace in keeping a journal. I keep one for our homeschool as a record of all we're accomplishing, as well as a personal journal where I write about our family life in general.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, journalling can be great for that. I find just jotting down what I'm worrying about helps me. If I can define why I'm worrying it really helps take steps towards stopping it.

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  3. Great list Joanne! I especially have problems with living in the moment and worrying. I'm a worry wart and have to analyze everything which makes it so hard to live in the moment. But, every day I work on it so hopefully I will be able to just live without worry :) xo

    Carla aka Mrs R @ SimplifyLifeWithMrsR.com

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    1. Oh I know that feeling well. I often think worry is my middle name!

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  4. These are such great tips. I remember being so tense when my four boys were homeschooling that I felt as if I had a band around my throat some days. I wish I could have read this post back then!

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  5. I LOVE this list!! I love them all, but find for us #1 is the one that brings the most peace around here. I love being outside and sometimes it is so nice to take the day off and just have a picnic and play in the river! :) Thank you for this wonderful list!

    Thanks for linking up @LiveLifeWell!

    Blessings,

    Amy

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