It can be so easy to be distracted and preoccupied by everything going on around us, especially in this age of cellphones and over stimulation. I will be the first to admit that I look at my phone too often and check my social media accounts more than I should around my kids. So what can we do to slow that down and grab a little perspective?

I love to have disconnected weekends. It’s a great way to appreciate each other as a family and find that quality time without the distractions of school, work, activities that need to be done during the week.

But for every day connection, I turn to my mala beads. My favorite time to meditate is at night once the kids have gone down. I often used to sit outside under the stars and in the silence and that’s where I found the most peace. Now that it’s winter I settle in by the fire, or my bed and I reflect on the day.

I start with all the “bad” things that happened. Did I yell, or get upset today, and was it the right way to go about it?

Did I apologize to my kids after I got upset, and how can I handle it going forward? I find as mother’s we cultivate a lot of guilt, and we just have to reflect and meditate upon it and let it go. We can’t change what happened, but we can learn from it.

I spend a lot more time focusing on the good things that happened that day, and how incredibly lucky I am to have the life I do.

Focusing on gratitude is the main intention.

Throughout the day I touch my mala beads when I’m happy so that it gives my beads that energy.

Later when I’m going through my mantra I can feel the positive energy already there.

It’s not easy to always feel gratitude. The days are long, the sleep is short and sometimes there just isn’t enough time to appreciate everything around us. Using your mala beads as a touchstone throughout the day is one way to start, and the days reflection is the best way to tie it all in. Whether you start your day off with the intention of gratitude, or end the day with the knowledge of gratitude, your mala beads will be with you.