The 30 second hug - kid edition

Two months ago I wrote about the 30 second hug and how it has really helped my stress and anxiety. Recently I've realized that my kids can have very similar feelings even if our behavior looks a little different. So I took my original post and made some edits imagining this same idea from the mind of my 3 year old:

--

I can get overwhelmed very easily. All of my siblings running around me, having to wake up when my brother wakes up since we share a room, not being able to go outside everyday since my mom says it's too cold outside. It can be a lot and when my mom tries to help me relax it can be hard to ease my frustration.

So a couple of weeks ago we started 30 second hugs. I don't always think to ask for a hug and sometimes it is the last thing I want to do. But when I am ready to feel better and get some one on one time with my mom, I walk over to her and ask for a hug. Once I'm there mom begins counting to 30 in her head. And as she counts, I lean in a little more and I can feel some of the stress release. It doesn't take all the stress away, but even 50% of the stress leaving my body is incredibly helpful and allows me to get through whatever I'm struggling with a lot easier. And, not only will I feel better, my mom usually feels better, too :) 

The thing I've learned since starting this is that I absolutely have 30 seconds to give myself a break and my mom an extra expression of love. So when you are having a rough day because your little sister is trying to take a toy from you or you get a paper cut after coloring, just take 30 seconds. That's sometimes all it takes.