Mindfulness for Mums: Simple ways to help you and your family feel calm, connected and content

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I wrote “Mindfulness for Mums” to share short, simple and effective mindfulness tips that can be introduced into your day to help you find the calm in the chaos of motherhood. By learning a few mindfulness tips, you will, in turn, reduce stress, and pay attention and make time for the things you love. And the thing is, this doesn’t take ANY time, this is just a simple shift of mindset! 7. Set Intentions su_note note_color=”#f6ff66″ radius=”0″]Today I will become more aware of how I speak to my children.[/su_note]

Whenever I answer the phone, I notice the receiver against my ear, sense my breath moving in and out. Becoming mentally agitated is only going to cause myself suffering, the grocery store line isn’t going to move any faster. This mental game works wonders. An important part of mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience. This means paying attention to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. That might be something as simple as the feel of a banister as we walk upstairs. That little tiny sliver of space begins to open up for you, in which you can choose how to respond rather than simply react to it. Ever since I can remember, anxiety has been a part of who I am. It has challenged me most during times of change and when I’ve felt out of control. I discovered the power of mindfulness in my early twenties following an extreme period of anxiety. The simplicity of learning how to focus my attention on the present moment rather than catastrophizing the future became a powerful tool for helping me look after my overall mental wellbeing.

Different mindfulness practices

Notice any feelings and emotions as they arise. Can you let these come and go without pushing away those that you don’t like, or jumping on to those that you do like? Include everything within your awareness with a kindly perspective. Well, moms, there are many simple things we can do to incorporate mindfulness into our days, and by adopting mindfulness we will greater enhance our quality of life. And we only have one life. So live it, with purpose, clarity, presence, and light. While brushing your daughter’s hair, for example, think about how the hair feels, think about the colour of the hair, the way the hair falls or how the curls bounce. Delightful. Provides simple, easy and fun activities for both parents and children of all ages to restore calm and peace' MAIL ON SUNDAY How we breathe tells our body and brain how we feel. Taking a few minutes each day to do some focused breathing is one of the most helpful things you can fit into your day. Firstly, notice how you breathe during the day and try and get into the habit of breathing in through your nose rather than in through your mouth. Then choose a time in the day to do some belly breathing: take a big deep breath in through the nose and feel your belly rise, then out through the mouth and feel your belly fall. A Sensory Activity

Maybe you schedule two hours on Mondays for whatever it is you enjoy, yoga, running, a book at a coffee shop, a relaxing bath. It can be anything. Breathe from your belly, not your throat. Stressful breathing is fast and high up in our bodies which leads to tension and pain. A good pattern is to inhale for a count of 4, hold for 3 and exhale for 5.

How mindfulness helps mental wellbeing

For many of us we judge ourselves, we blame ourselves, we can belittle ourselves without even really recognising it,” says Sian. Being aware of the present moment, focusing our attention and also accepting things as they are can help us to reduce our stress and anxiety levels through improving our immune system, our breathing patterns and our general wellbeing and happiness. When we are aware of our mind, body and breath we can help our breathing to slow down and this, in turn, settles our central nervous system. Our guest blogger from Babies1st, Moni Celebi, has more to say on the matter below. Read on to find out more!

su_note note_color=”#f6ff66″ radius=”0″]Today, I will become more aware of how much I complain.[/su_note]

How does this process happen?

What are a number of different ways we can learn to be mindful and how can each one help in more detail? At the end of each day, consciously write down at least ten experiences that have made you happy or given you pleasure. (Yes, ten – don’t stop after just four or five.) Consciously bringing to mind the small experiences that would normally slip by and not be remembered is the aim of the exercise. It is OK to write down some of the same things each day. And you can also write down different dimensions of an experience: the sounds, the smells . . . What sensations are there, right now? If you notice any tension or resistance towards painful or unpleasant sensations, gently turn towards them. Accept this as best you can. If you begin to tense around the breath, then let go a little bit with each out-breath. Soften into gravity. Notice any thoughts as they arise and pass away in the mind. See if you can let them come and go without becoming too identified with their content. Look at your thoughts, not from them. Observe them as if they were clouds in the sky. Relate to them as a flow of mental events. Remember: thoughts are not facts.