MOTHERHOOD meditation AND
HOW TO MAKE ROOM FOR MINDFULNESS IN BETWEEN TAKING CARE OF THE KIDS
Picture this: you’ve picked your children up from school after doing the shopping, you rush into the house and get straight into cooking dinner. It isn’t until you sit down two hours later that the panic hits – you’ve left the groceries in the car.
If you’ve ever been in a situation like this, you’re not alone. Between juggling tasks and constantly being on call, distractions are almost impossible to avoid.
Founder of the Heavily Meditated app Caitlin Cady says meditation can help bring your focus back to the things that matter most.
“Being a distracted mother is the surest way to a shame spiral at the end of the day,”
Cady says. “Meditation helps me multitask less, listen more and has expanded my reserves of patience. It has trained me to remain mindful in all the moments of my life.”
Wondering how to add in meditation to an already packed schedule? Cady offers this advice for mums who want to try a little mindfulness…
PICK A QUIET TIME
The first way to set yourself up for success is to pick a meditation time with the best chance of silence.
“If you have kids, it’s unreasonable to expect a quiet house at 8am when they are bouncing off the walls, so get up before they do,” explains Cady. “If they’re school aged, do your meditation after they are out of the house.” If you have a keen coparent, Cady suggests asking them to mind the kids while you take your meditation outdoors – think your backyard or a nearby park.
PLUG IN
Though phones are often a distraction, tuning into a guided meditation is a terrific way to stay focused.
If you can, Cady advises plugging in a pair of noisecancelling headphones to block out any distractions.
“This creates a little virtual container for your meditation and helps to create a bit of space between you and the din of domesticity,” she says.
EMBRACE THE NOISE
Finding time without the kids might be near impossible for some, but you shouldn’t let that stop you.
“You can actually invite the noise in as part of your meditation,” Cady says. “Just as we allow and observe our thoughts without engaging with them or passing judgement on them, we can take the same approach with sounds in our environment.”
Cady adds that while you might prefer to meditate in private, having your kids around can set an example of self-care, stillness and silence.