After a challenging 2020, many of us are looking forward to a fresh start, and perhaps a fresh approach to juggling everything that parenthood entails. The practice of mindfulness can be a helpful tool for families. But what exactly is mindfulness? Will you have the time for it with everything on your lengthy to-do list?
Peter Callahan, Leadership and Life Coach at Copper Beech Institute says it’s much easier than you think.
“Mindfulness is noticing that you are thinking and trying to bring some awareness to those thoughts and to the emotions you are experiencing” he explains.
So much of what we do day-to-day is us just going through the motions.
“It takes less energy, ‘Oh I’ve been in this situation before and know what to do’. We shift into auto-pilot”
Callahan says slowing down and connecting with your thoughts doesn’t require work or time.
“A lot of the research shows emotion only lasts for about 90 seconds by itself. If we can calm that emotion down in ourselves and allow it to happen and then sort of keep moving on with our day”
Callahan says we can apply this practice towards parenting and share it with our children as well.
“Modelling the way is a wonderful leadership lesson and a wonderful parenting lesson. Even having a mediation practice or doing that self-care in front of your children” he explains.
“One thing my wife and I try to do is, every time we get into the car before we go into drive and leave, we take one breath together and say ‘alright, we’re going for a journey right now’”
During more challenging and stressful times, Callahan suggests taking a moment to pause.
“Giving a little bit of space to experience it before going into our fixing strategy and what we’re going to do next. Just that little bit of space to acknowledge. It’s amazing what that actually does physiologically to our nervous system to our whole body.”