Whether you’re parenting a newborn, an adult, or any stage in between, meditation can make you a better parent.
You may have noticed how important I think meditation is by now. There’s a reason I became a meditation teacher: I believe it can make anyone’s life better.
Meditation can improve life in general. But when you’re a parent, it can have some great benefits that go beyond just yourself. It can make life better for your kids, your partner, and their lives outside the family as well.
As parents, we always want the best for our kids. That starts with us. By incorporating meditation into your life, you make yourself the best parent you can be.
Helps you feel comfortable with uncertainty
Parenting is a big pot of uncertainty. From the moment they’re born until…well, the day they die, life becomes nothing but a big question. Will they eat? Will they sleep? Will they fall and get hurt? Will they struggle in school? …
These are some simple and safe ways to spend time together
Sometimes it’s tough to come up with new and creative ideas to get you through the winter. Your best bet is to get together with your partner and make lists of things that you both enjoy. Then compare lists and see where you two meet up.
This winter may be especially hard, given the many restrictions that some areas are still living under with the pandemic. Things you might have done before might be off limits right now. And even if some of your favorite activities are still open, money might be too tight to enjoy them.
If you’d like to keep expenses to a minimum and stay safe, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to have an excellent time without spending a dime while keeping your distance from others. …
Even if you don’t love them anymore, it can still affect you
One of the milestones in dealing with a past relationship is the day your ex acquires a new partner. It’s like that line in the Godfather III movie. Just when you think you’re over it, your emotions pull you back in.
You might have even started dating someone else yourself. But when you hear your ex has moved on and found someone new, it can take you by surprise and stir up feelings you thought you didn’t have anymore.
And when you have kids, it can stir up even more emotions. You suddenly have to share your children with this new person — maybe someone you’ve never even met. And your children might adore this person nearly as much, if not as much, as they adore you and your ex. You have to see this new partner, hear about this new partner, and maybe even have some sort of relationship with them. …
In the time of Corona, families are driving each other crazier than ever
Raising children can provide some of the most exciting, wondrous times of your life. However, you might not feel so filled with loving wonder when your kids are going through phases that are disappointing, frustrating, and challenging on several levels.
And let’s be totally honest here. The last several months have not exactly made things better. Families being locked up at home, unable to go out and see friends or go to work or school the way we’ve all gotten used to, has made all of us a little (or a lot) cranky and on edge.
So even if you’re normally a very even-keeled parent and your kids are usually sweet little angels, it’s very likely they’ve said or done something that’s gotten on your nerves. …
Confidence is just one of the many benefits of meditation
Confidence is a fantastic byproduct that comes from meditation, yet few people ever talk about it. Meditation can have a significant impact on your self-confidence when practiced daily. Real reflection means being able to let go of everything. Along with the many health benefits that you can gain from meditation, it can also stop the negative self-talk that can destroy your self-confidence. Meditation shows you that you don’t have to listen to your inner voice, especially when it focuses on the negative.
Follow these three steps to start building your confidence through meditation.
Step 1: Learn How to Meditate
When you are first starting out, basic mindfulness meditation will be the best to practice because it is easy to do. Mindfulness meditation revolves around focusing on the physical sensations of the present moment. The easiest way to accomplish this is by focusing on your breathing. Here are the steps you need to do to begin practicing. …
There are no guarantees, but there are some signs you can look for
If you ask around, you’ll probably find that a lot more people have been in an abusive relationship than you might think. Abusive relationships seem to have become more common, but the truth is they’ve always been in existence. Many years ago, people just didn’t discuss them. Once you were married, you were married for better or worse. Too many times it was, indeed, the death of one of the spouses that parted them. It was the reason for the death that made the situation so outrageous and so sad.
One thing you need to understand is that abusive relationships bleed over into many different parts of life. A partner who abuses you may also abuse your children, elderly parents, or others. And even if they don’t abuse your children, the abuse sets an example for your children. 9.4% of high school students have been physically hurt on purpose by a romantic partner, and 29% of college women admit to having been in an abusive relationship. How many of them witnessed abuse as children before becoming victims themselves? …
There are better things you can do than worry
A friend has this quotation on her wall: “I know worry works because nothing I worry about ever happens.”
I think I must believe that, because I worry a lot — and about the most insignificant things. I worry about the big things, of course, like health, relationships, and finances. But I’m also liable to fret about anything and everything that finds its way into my consciousness.
I’m so uptight about worrying that it even rubbed off on my kid. And I don’t like it. …
Finding love takes a little more than just deciding it’s time
There may be times in your life when you just want to be on your own for a while. Maybe you’d like to delve into your work, focus on yourself and enjoy life solo. However, when you return to thoughts of wanting to be in love again, it’s important to be in the proper frame of mind to welcome love back into your life.
We often think it’s as simple as deciding that we’re ready to date and find love again. But it can take a little more effort than that. …
You can make divorce just a little easier on your kids by getting along with your ex
Divorce not only exacts a toll on the divorcing couple, but it also affects the rest of the family. This is especially evident if you and your spouse have children. Even though it’s very difficult to hide the negative feelings that surface during a divorce, it’s extremely important that you work at managing those feelings constructively if you don’t want them to affect the kids.
Avoid the mistake of believing that your adult problems are too complicated for your children to understand. Although young children may not understand words like “irreconcilable differences,” they’re very intuitive and impressionable. …
Breaking up is never easy, but maybe it can be a little easier
Your first introduction to the term conscious uncoupling may have been when Gwyneth Paltrow used it to describe her divorce from Chris Martin. A lot of people laughed at the term, wondering what the hell it even meant.
I’m even willing to admit I was one of them. It seemed like a really fancy, and rather strange, way to say you’re breaking up.
But over time, the term has become more mainstream and it actually makes a lot more sense than you might think. It might even make a breakup a lot easier than it’s ever been before.
A lot of prominent psychologists have expressed their approval of the conscious uncoupling approach. In fact, the process includes many principles that have been part of marriage and divorce counseling for years. …
