Waiting for the Kids to Get Home
Designed by BearmoreToo much worrying and no sleeping.
Rest while you wait up, even if you don’t get to sleep. Slow breathwork, a visualisation to slow dow the worrying, then a head-to-toe body scan. It can all be done from bed.
The runsheet
Slow breathing
Breath workA few slow breaths tell the body it can stand down, even while your ears stay half-open for the door. Breathe in for four and out for six. Come back to this whenever you start feeling wound-up again.
5 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing breath work before visualisation
This pairing is especially effective because breath work clears mental fog, creating a clean screen where vivid images can project in high resolution.
Visualise
VisualisationPicture somewhere to set tonight's what-ifs down, a box on a shelf or a note left for the morning, and let them wait there instead of circling. If it helps, jot the worry on a bedside pad and close the cover on it for now.
10 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing visualisation before body scan
This can be a good pairing because focusing on internal images can flow naturally into systematic body awareness.
Relax tension with a body scan
Body scanWaiting up can tighten the jaw, the shoulders, the belly. Move your attention slowly from head to feet and let each part soften as you reach it, so your body can rest even while some part of you stays on call for the door.
10 min activityTime well spent.
35m spent doing something good for yourself.
The breakdown
Burst evaluation
Wellbeing focus
About this Burst
Waiting up for a teenager who is out late is one of the ordinary parts of loving them. Even when you know what they’re up to it can be stressful. Awake, in bed, and finding it hard to switch off until you hear the front door open and them come in safely.