Mindfulness and parenting

Being a parent is hard. Kids don't come with an instruction manual and when you get handed this little fragile ball to take away from the hospital it can be terrifying. We all want to be perfect parents and ensure that our kids are happy. But we are bombarded with conflicting advice on how we can do this. Every single aspect of parenting comes with differing opinions and there is a lot of pressure on parents to do the right thing for fear of being judged by others. Lack of sleep combined with anxiety, stress and quite often very demanding offspring makes parenting the toughest job in the world. 

How can mindfulness help?

Mindfulness is about living in the moment and being non-judgmental, including towards ourselves. By talking time out of the day for mindful meditation we are practicing self-care and bring our focus and attention to how we may be feeling. This can help prevent us from becoming overwhelmed which can better enable us to tackle the daily challenges of parenting. When we become more mindful it also helps us to be present with our children and enjoy the moment rather than worrying about whether we are getting it right or what could go wrong tomorrow.