Back to School Survival Guide for Mums

24 Feb

It’s that time again, school is back and gone are the holidays, the late nights and no structure. The kids might not be wanting to go back to school, but you might feel a sigh of relief. The back-to-school season is busy, and it can be difficult to keep up with everything while maintaining your well-being. Ayurveda offers holistic solutions to help you stay organised, reduce stress, and find balance during this hectic time. It helps me to stay balanced and grounded while balancing a full-time job, a business and being a carer. Keeping to a routine and structure is good for everyone in the family and I find it helps reducing stress and maintaining a positive energy for everyday life.

I’m passionate about the Ayurvedic wisdom and how it can enhance your family’s organisation, evening routines, and time management, ensuring everyone stays healthy, energized, and calm. In this blog I give you some tips on how you can stay on top and keep your cool this school season.

Getting Organized: Ayurvedic Wisdom for a Balanced Home 🌿✨

A cluttered home often leads to a cluttered mind. Ayurveda teaches that balance begins at home, and creating an organized, peaceful environment helps nurture the mind, body, and spirit. Get everyone in the family involved and teach the kids about how a clean space can help them feel more relaxed and have more energy to play and have fun. It might be difficult for a young child to understand but making it a fun activity will help them feel motivated.

Declutter for Mental Peace

According to Ayurveda, a clean and organized home helps balance the elements (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) in your environment and mind. When you clear physical clutter, you create mental space for clarity and focus. This is so true for me as I love to have a clean desk and surroundings to be able to focus and do great work. Too much clutter distracts me, especially when working from home so it’s important to set up a clean environment to feel harmony and balance.

Daily Clean-Up Rituals: Set aside time each day (preferably in the morning or evening) for a quick family clean-up session. Sweep, dust, or tidy one area of the home at a time. Focus on the kitchen and living spaces to maintain harmony in the heart of the home.
Designate Sacred Spaces: Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of creating serene spaces where you can relax and recharge. Set up an area for yoga, meditation, or reading. A cozy corner with soft cushions, calming colours, and natural light can help foster peace for the whole family.

Ayurvedic Meal Prep

Meal planning and preparation can be a game-changer for busy families. Ayurveda encourages eating in harmony with the seasons and your body’s needs. I like to meal plan with my family and think about what we can do with what we already have and what we need to add on the grocery list. Writing a meal plan enables you to see what you eat and ensure it contains a variety of food sources. Involve the kids and get them to plan what they like to pack for their lunchbox. Including seasonal foods doesn’t only ensure freshness but also, it’s cheaper and you can get some great deal at the markets.

Here are some further tips to help you plan.

Cook in Balance: Ayurveda recommends cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients and using warming spices like turmeric, cumin, ginger, and coriander to balance the digestive fire (Agni). These spices stimulate digestion and help with energy.
Vata-Pitta-Kapha Meal Planning: For families with different doshas (body types), consider incorporating a variety of meals that can cater to their needs. For example, a warm spiced vegetable soup (Vata-pacifying) for a cooling, calming effect or a ginger-lemon smoothie (Pitta-soothing) to energize. A rice and lentil bowl (Kapha-balancing) helps with grounding.
Batch Cooking and Leftovers: Ayurveda advises preparing food in bulk and consuming leftovers within two days to retain their nutritional value and maintain Agni.

Evening Routines: Ayurvedic Practices to Wind Down 🌙💤

The evening is a sacred time for rest and rejuvenation in Ayurveda. It’s essential to create a calming routine that signals your body to transition from activity to relaxation. In the era of TV, laptops and phone too much screen time at night can really disrupt your sleep rhythm but also the quality of sleep and rest you get. I know it can be difficult to let your phone go, but if you set an example as a parent your kids will follow and see the benefits. Maybe do it as an activity and challenge, if someone use their screen after a certain time, they will be fined. This might work well in a household with teenage kids that tend to spend lots of time on their phone.

Evening Practices for Optimal Sleep

Proper sleep is a pillar of good health in Ayurveda. The goal is to balance the three doshas and promote restful sleep by calming the mind and body. I can feel if I haven’t got proper sleep as I feel exhausted, dizzy, and have hard time to focus. It can be tempting to stay up late to watch a movie or do some work but if this continues for several nights, by the weekend you will be exhausted and have no energy left. Good quality sleep is so essential for your wellbeing and longevity, so make it count and get your rest.

These tips help me to wind down for the evening.

Create a Relaxing Atmosphere: According to Ayurveda, the ideal bedtime is between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to align with the natural circadian rhythm. Dim the lights an hour before bed, reduce screen time, and enjoy a warm, peaceful environment.
Ayurvedic Bedtime Rituals: Before sleep, try an Ayurvedic self-massage (Abhyanga) with warm sesame oil (for Vata), coconut oil (for Pitta), or mustard oil (for Kapha) to nourish your skin and calm your nervous system.
Calming Herbal Teas: Sip a cup of warm chamomile or ashwagandha tea in the evening to relax the mind. Turmeric milk (golden milk) made with almond milk and a pinch of turmeric is also an excellent bedtime beverage that promotes deep, restorative sleep.

Ayurvedic Practices for Kids’ Bedtime

The Ayurvedic approach to children’s bedtime includes creating a peaceful, grounding environment for them to relax. Children loves a routine and setting a good example early on in their life will help them create good habits for the future too. They will feel more alert and energised and less cranky and unhappy. This is also a nice time for you as a parent to connect with your child and talk about the day.

Try these tips for a good bedtime routine.

Bedtime Rituals for Kids: Create a consistent routine that includes a warm bath with lavender or sandalwood oils, followed by a calming bedtime story or guided meditation. Consider using rose water or lavender mist to spray their pillows for a soothing effect.
Warm Milk with Ghee: For children, a warm drink made with milk, a pinch of cardamom, and a bit of ghee (clarified butter) can help ground their energy and promote better sleep.

Prepare for Tomorrow

At the end of my workday, I always tend to plan my to-do list for tomorrow. The same goes for home. Preparing for the next day, not only reminds me if what I need to but also saves me time in the morning and make my day more efficient. Ayurveda recommends setting intentions and allowing your mind to rest. This is why I love to write in my journal to reflect on my day as it helps me express gratitude and offer thanks for my learnings. Getting you kids involved in this practice is a great way to teach them about life and to become more resilient.

The below tips can help you and your kids to get organised for the day ahead.

Lay Out Clothes and School Bags: Prepare the essentials for the next day, including school uniforms, work attire, and lunch boxes, to reduce morning stress.
Reflect with Gratitude: Before bed, take a moment to reflect on the day and express gratitude. Ayurveda emphasizes the power of cultivating gratitude to soothe the mind and promote emotional well-being.

Time Management Tips with Ayurvedic Wisdom 🕰️🌸

Effective time management can help you stay organized without feeling overwhelmed. Ayurveda emphasizes working in harmony with your body’s natural rhythms, using your energy wisely, and making space for rest. Often, we push through and work to late at night when the kids have gone to bed but to only feel more exhausted the next day. If we don’t acknowledge our bodies natural signal to go to sleep, you will find it harder to go to bed. We all have periods of work deadlines, uni assignments and other commitments that make us stay up late, but if we ignore to give our body proper rest afterwards, we will not recover, and it can lead to burnout in the long term. In our modern society we tend to push through, and we have forgotten the basic needs that our forefathers lived by as farmers, the rhythm of the day. Coming from Sweden I can totally relate that my energy is very different in summer compared to winter and you have to adjust accordingly.

In Ayurveda, the day is divided into three doshic periods—each aligning with specific times of the day. If you follow this rhythm, you will soon feel that you are more productive and live more of a balanced lifestyle.

Kapha (6 a.m. – 10 a.m.): This time is ideal for a gentle morning routine, including stretching, meditation, and planning the day ahead. It’s a time of increased energy and clarity.
Pitta (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.): This is your most productive period. Use this time for deep work, problem-solving, and tackling more challenging tasks.
Vata (2 p.m. – 6 p.m.): Energy naturally starts to wind down. Avoid over-scheduling demanding tasks. Instead, focus on lighter work, family activities, or creative pursuits.

Time Blocking with Ayurvedic Principles

Instead of multitasking, Ayurveda encourages focusing on one task at a time, which improves productivity and reduces mental stress.

Morning Focus: Use the early morning hours for deep, focused work or family time. Avoid distractions and try to complete essential tasks before the afternoon.
Midday Break: Ayurveda suggests taking a short break during the midday hours (ideally between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.) for a light, nourishing meal and some rest.
Evening Unwind: As the day winds down, prioritize activities that are calming and grounding. Avoid intense exercise or stimulating activities after 6 p.m.

Delegate Tasks in Alignment with Doshas

I’m predominately a vata dosha so I love organising and be the family’s admin person. Although it’s difficult to juggle it all, so assign tasks to family members based on their dosha strengths is a great way to get the jobs done. Even if you haven’t done a dosha tests, you probably know each other’s strengths so dividing up the chores is a great way to create an efficient household.

Vata (Creative Energy): Ideal for organizing tasks, brainstorming, or handling paperwork. They may struggle with consistency but are great for creative problem-solving.
Pitta (Goal-Oriented Energy): Perfect for managing tasks that require precision, focus, and execution. They are great at following through and getting things done efficiently.
Kapha (Grounding Energy): Best suited for tasks that require patience and consistency, like cleaning, organizing, or taking care of daily chores.

Ayurvedic Self-Care Tips for Mums 🧘‍♀️

Taking care of yourself is not selfish—it’s essential for your well-being but something that often tends to come last on the list. Ayurveda offers simple, effective self-care practices that you can incorporate into your day, even during the busiest times. Looking after yourself if it’s a quiet time in the morning with your favourite coffee and tea and some meditation, having lunch with a friend or going for a massage. Finding your time to recharge in the hectic schedule is important to keep you balanced.

Here are some Ayurvedic practice that I like to do that can do wonders for your mental, emotional, and physical health.

Abhyanga (Self-Massage): Start your day by massaging your body with warm oil. This simple practice improves circulation, reduces stress, and calms the nervous system.
Pranayama (Breathing Exercises): Take a few minutes during the day to practice deep, mindful breathing to clear your mind and centre yourself. Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) is particularly helpful for calming anxiety and stress.
Ayurvedic Skin Care: Follow an Ayurvedic skincare routine with natural ingredients like turmeric, rose water, and sandalwood oil to nourish your skin and restore your glow.

Drink Ayurvedic herbal teas throughout the day to maintain your energy and support digestion.

Ginger Tea: Helps stimulate digestion and supports energy levels.
Ashwagandha Tea: A calming adaptogen that helps manage stress and balance hormones.

By incorporating Ayurvedic practices into your family’s routine, you can maintain balance, stay energized, and avoid burnout during the back-to-school rush. We can’t do it all without feeling it in the end so by incorporating a few simple practices like the ones we discussed can make a huge change in your everyday life. I have tried these tips, and I know they work, and I would love for you to feel these benefits too. From mindful meal prep to evening wind-down rituals and smart time management, Ayurveda offers practical, holistic solutions for mums like you. Remember to take a breath and enjoy the simple things in life, there’s always something on the agenda but taking time out will make you feel better in the long run.

Kajsa Rylander-Bellet