YAY! I’m so happy for you!
I’m glad and excited for you to start this practice. And I’m so excited to share with you this super simple and quick mediation that you can use as you like, any time of the day, any where you are.
As we become moms we experience all sorts of emotions, thoughts, and feelings that we might have never thought was possible. At times it can be scary as if we don’t know who we are anymore, and there are so many factors that play into the reason why that is.
After I had my first son I had no idea what parenting was really about, or what all came with having a baby, things most baby books don’t talk about…or at least I’m assuming. I never read books because I thought I knew how to have a baby and how to take care of it. But, what I didn’t know was how to really connect with my baby, how to understand and empathize with what he may be needing at the moment. Sure, I played with him and cuddled with him, which I will cherish forever, but I never thought about how to develop an understanding about my baby, especially as they grow and within their first two years. This time is crucial for their growing brain not just for their motor skills, language and other basic growth, but for building relationships, expressing their needs and feelings.
Sorry, and little off topic, but I felt like I was a horrible mom, that I actually had no ideas what I was doing. Then three kids later- after my twins- I talked to a doctor about what I was experiencing, between yelling and being agitated all the time, and she had mentioned mindfulness.
What a simple concept. I never really thought about incorporating mindfulness into parenting, or really how to make it part of my life. I did research and added this practice into my life. Being mindful as a parent is such a simple concept but yet, it’s a practice that takes time to make it a daily habit and experience all the benefits, but don’t give up, you will be so happy you started.
Being mindful is just how it sounds, being present in the moment, not letting yourself just live on autopilot. Be aware of your actions, thoughts, FEELINGS, and NEEDS! I put all caps on those words because as a mom we rarely think about our feelings or our needs. If we do we just brush them under the rug and often feel guilty that we are even thinking that we need a break.
Never ever underestimate your feelings and needs. Society over generations have taught women especially moms that we always put our kids needs and feeling first and we just have to deal with how we are feeling. Not to talk about it because then we are just complaining, and it’s our job to take care of the kids.
It’s time to break these generational habits! I can’t express how important it is to bring our feelings and needs to the surface and really pay attention to them. How can we constantly keep giving if we have nothing left to give. If you feel like you are trapped in this life and you don’t matter anymore because you are a mom, we need to fix that.
It’s not safe for you or your child. They need you to focus on yourself, think about your feelings and your needs.
So, that is an example of what being mindful is, I hope you see how important it is. You can learn more ways to be mindful here.
Another important practice as a mom or even dad is meditation. I know you may be thinking, “I don’t have time for that,” or “it won’t work.” Meditation isn’t just a practice where you sit for hours and do deep breathing, although this technique does wonders for you. But, there are so many different techniques for meditating and that you can incorporate into your daily life.
The technique that we are going to be practicing is a 1 minute self compassion meditation. It might not seem like one minute can do anything for you, but boy are you in for a treat! The best thing about this technique besides that it’s just one minute, is how effective it is. You can do this type of meditation as often as you want throughout your day.
Meditation is a way to give your body and mind a break, to refresh, so you can tackle the day with a clear mind. There are tons of benefits that comes with meditating like making you more productive, happier, calmer, uplifted and so so many more benefits, you can read all about them here.
Practicing mindfulness and meditation will improve your parenting and every relationship you have. Keep in mind that this is a practice, you may not feel the benefits from day one, but the more you practice the more you will start to experience all the benefits.
No matter how busy you are, you can definitely add this to your busy schedule because you can do this in your car, as you’re walking, sitting in the waiting room at the doctors, literally anywhere, at any time.
The video below will explain the mediation, how to do it and how this is going to help you, then below the video is the guided meditation. Enjoy!