Mindfulness for mums is really important. You may have come across the idea of mindfulness or even heard Mindful in May before. it’s the practise of meditation and mindfulness in the month of May. And it’s something we wholeheartedly support at Body Beyond Birth.
Mindfulness is the art of staying in the present. It gives us that lovely breathing space between events of the past and future obligations.
As a busy mother, it can be difficult to stay in the present, be calm and be aware. We’re often worrying about so many different aspects of our family’s lives. Juggling school, work, house work, relationships, friendships, study, family obligations plus the all day every minute of the day consumption of headspace being a mother entails can become quite exhausting.
Mindfulness can help you deal with the days ahead
For Mother’s Day, we asked you to think about time for yourself. We invited you to take the ‘me time challenge’, where you take 20 minutes for you. Not a trip to the bathroom or 20 minutes waiting in Mum’s taxi during the next pickup. Actual uninterrupted time for you.
Yes, it sounds incredibly luxurious and it may even get you giggling and rolling your eyes. But every moment of peace we can gain in the world helps restore us.
Some in the fly ways you can gain a little mindfulness for mums are:
- Taking time out for a cup of tea
- Writing in a journal or diary
- Spending time with the family pet playing a game
- Listening to music
- Singing, playing an instrument or having a dance
- Sitting quietly with your eyes shut, listening
This is mindfulness. As is Yoga, meditation and Pilates. Or having a long bath or reading a book, enjoying some sunshine as you head out for a walk. It’s these moments where you become interested in your breathing and your “now” moments.
We tend to overthink it and assume we need Shirley’s old pyramid from A Country Practise or to get into our Yoga gear and start stretching to Zen. But mindfulness is as simple as stopping to watch the birds pass in the sky. Or switching off from the phone and the internet for a day and thinking consciously about what you do in a day as a central focus.
Mindfulness is as simple as when you wake up, instead of jumping out of bed lying there aware of your body waking up and listening to your breath and the sounds in the room.
When was the last time you took time for you?
At Body Beyond Birth, we know we beat the drum of ‘me time’ a lot, but we think it’s important. We know that exercise, meditation, time out and doing things for you to lower stress. They also influence your ability to handle stress and help foster resilience against life’s day to day challenges.
It also lowers your heart rate, helps send more oxygen to the blood and gives you physical benefits as well.
There is a very real side to motherhood that involves always being on for other people. Your partner, kids, friends, extended family, work, community, and groups you belong to and more- they all want a piece of you. But you also deserve and need to take some pieces for yourself.
If a plane was about to crash and you were sitting next to your child, you would need to fit your mask first to make sure you gave yourself the best chance of helping you child survive. After all, you are no good to your child if you’re passed out.
Mindfulness for mums is fitting that mask first. So that you can fit your kid’s mark and deal with anything else that comes after.
Leading by example
Whatever world our kids inherit, we know work is going to be an all consuming pressure. We know there will be economic responsibilities, educational tests, heartbreaks and happiness.
As mothers, we set the framework for how our kids approach self-care. We teach them that it’s OK to look after yourself and stand up for your rights. We instil in them the bravery and values that will help them cope with challenges.
And we can’t say these things and have them believed without showing they actually work.
So please, enjoy mindfulness this May. Even if it’s as simple as taking time out for a cup of tea or listening to the birds and the traffic and the world wake up with you before leaping into action. Find what helps you forget the whole world for a moment so you can just be there in the moment.
Want more tips on how to practise mindfulness for mums?
Why not check out our meditations within the Body Beyond Birth program? Or pop into our Mothers Motivation Group for ideas and suggestions that could work for you!
