Mindful Parenting
As parents we do our best to empower our children to value themselves and others, to enjoy life, to negotiate life challenges and to flourish and grow. Sometimes however, we may be faced with an unexpected challenge in terms of our child's mental or physical health. In such situations feelings of helplessness, self-blame, inadequacy and fear may surface for parents. These feelings are normal. However, when prolonged they may damage your health.
This page looks at how we can engage Mindfulness and Meditation to help us care for ourselves in our everyday life. Remember no child wants to have these challenges, and as parents we may need some help along the way to remain healthy and balanced ourselves.
Stress Less - Mindful Parenting
When someone in our family is ill we may become so immersed in the situation that we forget ourselves in the middle of it all. We may even feel guilty at the thought of doing something enjoyable for ourselves when a family member is suffering. However, it's important for parents to maintain their own health and well-being.
Here are some self-care tips:
Spending time with friends
A long warm hug from a loved one.
Their animal.
Smelling freshly cut grass.
Sitting in the garden and listening to the birds.
Getting up 5 minutes earlier when the house is quiet.
Going for a walk in nature by myself during lunch break.
Stopping and listening to nature.
Sitting back from the laptop and taking and using the breath to settle body and mind.
Listening to music.
The sound of the waves or a river.
The feel of new socks and fresh sheets.
Harvard Scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor says that when a person has a reaction to something in their environment there is a 90-second chemical process that happens in the body:
"Chemicals are flushed through your body which puts it on full alert. For those chemicals to totally flush out of the body, it takes less than 90 seconds. This means that for 90 seconds you can watch the process happening, you can feel it happening, and then you can watch it go away. After that, if you continue to feel the emotions, you need to look at the thoughts that you’re thinking that are re-stimulating the circuitry that is resulting in you having this physiological reaction over and over again.”
Helplines
Aware
https://www.aware.ie/support/support-line/
Phone helpline: 180080484848
Bodywhys
https://www.bodywhys.ie/recovery-support-treatment/support-services-2/helpline/
Phone helpline: (01) 2107906
Samaritans
Samaritans 24-hour helpline: 116 123
https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
As parents we do our best to empower our children to value themselves and others, to enjoy life, to negotiate life challenges and to flourish and grow. Sometimes however, we may be faced with an unexpected challenge in terms of our child's mental or physical health. In such situations feelings of helplessness, self-blame, inadequacy and fear may surface for parents. These feelings are normal. However, when prolonged they may damage your health.
This page looks at how we can engage Mindfulness and Meditation to help us care for ourselves in our everyday life. Remember no child wants to have these challenges, and as parents we may need some help along the way to remain healthy and balanced ourselves.
Stress Less - Mindful Parenting
When someone in our family is ill we may become so immersed in the situation that we forget ourselves in the middle of it all. We may even feel guilty at the thought of doing something enjoyable for ourselves when a family member is suffering. However, it's important for parents to maintain their own health and well-being.
Here are some self-care tips:
- Make time for yourself everyday.
- Reach out if you need to. It's good to talk.
- Learn to meditate.
- Take a walk in nature, listen to the sounds around you, what you can see, smell, feel.
- Take time out from technology. If you feel more comfortable inform people when you will be doing this.
- Notice what triggers your stress or anxiety so you can be prepared to take care of yourself in a healthy way.
- Be kind and compassionate to yourself.
- Do your best to build in a healthy night time routine
- Stop looking at devices after 8pm
- Get to bed at a reasonable time
- Take a warm bath
- Listen to relaxing music
- Avoid over stimulating television
- Avoid eating too late.
- Do some gentle movement to unwind your body
- Meditate
- List 5 things you are grateful for every evening
- Make a list of the things you enjoy doing and make sure to do one or two of these everyday.
Spending time with friends
A long warm hug from a loved one.
Their animal.
Smelling freshly cut grass.
Sitting in the garden and listening to the birds.
Getting up 5 minutes earlier when the house is quiet.
Going for a walk in nature by myself during lunch break.
Stopping and listening to nature.
Sitting back from the laptop and taking and using the breath to settle body and mind.
Listening to music.
The sound of the waves or a river.
The feel of new socks and fresh sheets.
Harvard Scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor says that when a person has a reaction to something in their environment there is a 90-second chemical process that happens in the body:
"Chemicals are flushed through your body which puts it on full alert. For those chemicals to totally flush out of the body, it takes less than 90 seconds. This means that for 90 seconds you can watch the process happening, you can feel it happening, and then you can watch it go away. After that, if you continue to feel the emotions, you need to look at the thoughts that you’re thinking that are re-stimulating the circuitry that is resulting in you having this physiological reaction over and over again.”
Helplines
Aware
https://www.aware.ie/support/support-line/
Phone helpline: 180080484848
Bodywhys
https://www.bodywhys.ie/recovery-support-treatment/support-services-2/helpline/
Phone helpline: (01) 2107906
Samaritans
Samaritans 24-hour helpline: 116 123
https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
