For young parents
Your life changes radically when you become a mother. A friend who became the first mother in our group of girlfriends once said: I am moe-der, which pretty much means I’m a tired mother. During my pregnancy I often heard well-intentioned comments like: enjoy the peace now because soon it’s over. I always thought: it can’t be that bad. Almost three years later, I have to say that I have never felt so tired before. When I look in the mirror, I see fatigue in my eyes and even my hair is tired.
Attention to stress
I don’t have to tell you that fatigue is disastrous for yourself, your relationship and your child. Fatigue and in the case of fledgling parents, overly fatigue, leads to irritability, being more fatigue and stress. It is a vicious circle in which you’d rather don’t want to be. With mindfulness you will learn how you can cope with it. You deliberately give attention to stress by looking at it consciously . If you do this consistently, you can eventually handle the stress better. And you will have less and less stress. Keep reading to see what you can do.
S.T.O.P.
S.T.O.P. stands for:
S – Stop with what you’re dealing with at the moment (of course only when possible)
T – Take a breath; go with your attention to your breathing and follow your breathing in and breathing out
O – Observe the situation and, above all, what you are experiencing yourself
P – Proceed; continue on a for you appropriate way
I picked up this tip once from Deepak Chopra. I think it’s a great way to get out of the situation and to oversee what is now actually happening. Breathing is a good tool for it. An anchor to which you can go back to, to stay in the present moment. It helps you to make contact with yourself at a time when you need it. And to ultimately make a decision that suits your needs. Good luck!
Photocredits: Julia Ruijter