Motherhood and parenting are hard. Every day is different and difficult, but fortunately, mindful parenting can help ease the chaos and support you in being more present.
Every day, dirty diapers, colds, and sibling fights seem endless — and yet, in the blink of an eye, our kids are suddenly in middle school. Careful parenting may hold the answer savoring all of this while not losing our minds at the same time.
The most accurate quote I’ve found to describe this slow-but-oh-so-quick phenomenon is, “The days are long, but the years are short,” as Gretchen Rubin said in The Happiness Project.
Fortunately, careful parenting can help we bridge the gap between long days and short years. By paying attention, choosing how we respond to things, and desiring the moments in front of us, we can enjoy the good things about each stage of motherhood while building resilience for challenging times.
In general, what is thinking?
Mindfulness can mean many things, but the most famous mindfulness practice was developed by a professor of medicine, Jon Kabat-Zinn. He refers to thinking as “paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment, without judgment.”
In practice, it is often done during mental meditation, where you spend a few minutes every day to sit quietly and purposefully focus on breathing, guided visualization, and noticing that your thoughts and feelings are not “you” but come and go like clouds in the sky.
You can too be careful in your daily activities by recognizing when you’re emotionally caught up, shifting and refocusing your attention, and allowing yourself to experience feelings and thoughts without holding onto them.
Multiple clinical studies are available showed that Mindfulness improves many conditions, including anxiety, stress, pain, high blood pressure, depression, and insomnia. Mindfulness too helps improve sleep and alertness, which is important for mothers.
The benefits of mindful parenting for new (and seasoned) moms
As a new mother, you are going through a lot. You are physically recovering and emotionally vulnerable; Your hormones are often messed up. Careful parenting choices can help you take it moment by moment in these early days — and continue to support you as your children grow.
The first thing to remember about mindfulness is that you can’t fail at it. being a caring mother is just practice — you practice bringing your awareness back to the present moment as often as possible.
As you go about your day, notice your feelings, especially when they are running high. Take a moment to pause before you react. And when you have time later for reflection, tthink about what might make you angry about that situation.
To make mindfulness a more consistent part of your life, consider setting this as a goal you seek for your mental health. One of the best ways to set goals is to use the SMART frameworkcreating specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals.
You can make mindfulness a SMART goal by identifying, “I want to practice mindfulness meditation for five minutes, three times a week, for the next month.” This will help you stay more consistent with your training.
Over time, you will notice that you are less reactive with your emotions and gain better control over your responses, which brings you greater peace. You will also experience the benefits mentioned earlier, such as less stress, better sleep, and lower anxiety levels.
Exploring mindfulness for children
Mindfulness is great for parents, but it can also be practiced by children. The The New York Times mentioned that during childhood, connections in the prefrontal cortex of the brain is being done at the fastest rate.
Mindfulness helps develop skills controlled by the prefrontal cortex, such as focus and patience, so mindfulness is learned in childhood Possible help improve development.
The Times article also reported that children may ssour learning of mental skills as a child of four and being part of their daily routine is important. Over time and with consistent practice, children can explore positive, negative, and neutral emotions and thoughts without judgment.
Elementary-aged and older children already practice meditation there shown to have a better working memory and mental control while suffering less from stress, anxiety, and aggression.
Teaching your children to practice thinking alongside you is great benefits the whole family.
Thinking skills to try for the family
Mindfulness skills help us take the time to practice thinking and give us tools to cut stress and complex emotions.
Start by setting aside a few minutes a day for mindfulness meditation. You don’t need a lot of time — focus on your breathing and do some visualization if you can.
Another easy skill — especially with young children — is to five senses grounding technique. When stress builds, you can bring yourself back to the present by focusing on what you’re experiencing through your five senses.
First, you and your child will say five things you see. Then, four things you can handle. After that, name three things you can hear and two things you can smell. Finally, name something you can taste.
This exercise helps you center yourself and move away from your emotions into the physical world.
Final thoughts on enjoying mindful parenting
Parenthood is a fun, challenging journey. Being thoughtful will help you create great memories, manage your emotions more effectivelyand feel better about good and challenging experiences.
Enjoy your mindful parenting journey!
