Awareness is the practice of living in the moment. This means that you are aware of where you are in the world, what you are thinking, how you are feeling inside and out.
Not only that, awareness is also about looking at the world with less judgment and more acceptance. The idea of bringing awareness into the present is at the core of Buddhist meditation and has been practiced and studied for centuries.
This idea of parenting has been around especially since 1997. At its core, it applies the principles of mindfulness to many situations in your family that can feel a little crazy at times.
The purpose of bringing awareness to parenting is to respond thoughtfully to your child's behavior or actions rather than simply reacting. You work to gain acceptance for your child and, in turn, for yourself. Nurturing your relationship this way can help strengthen your bond and provide other benefits.
Key Factors
Most writing about mindful parenting focuses on three main qualities:
-Awareness and attention to the present moment
-Understanding behavior
Attitude (non-judgmental, compassionate, accepting)
To be more specific Many conscious parenting ideas include these skills:
-Listening: This means really listening and observing with your full attention. This may require a tremendous amount of patience and practice.
-To accept without judgment: To approach situations and events without judging your or your child's feelings. Non-judgment also includes giving up unrealistic expectations about your child.
-Emotional awareness: Raising awareness in parenting interactions extends from parent to child. Transferring emotional awareness is the key to teaching your child to do the same.
-Compassion: Again, you may not agree with your child's actions or thoughts, but conscious parenting encourages parents to show compassion. This includes being empathetic and understanding for the child's current position.
The Benefits of Mindful Parenting
There are numerous studies examining mindfulness and the possible benefits of mindfulness parenting. For parents, these benefits may include reducing stress and mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.
Conscious parenting for children can aid in social decision making. Researchers have recently uncovered a link with decision making and emotional regulation. Therefore, understanding and accepting the emotions fostered by this type of parenting can help children work on this important life skill from a very young age.
Other benefits:
-Improves parent-child communication
-Reduces symptoms of hyperactivity
-Improves parenting satisfaction
-Reduces aggression
-Reduces feelings of depression
-Reduces stress and anxiety
How to Mindfulness Parenting?
You don't need to change your entire lifestyle to start practicing mindfulness strategies today.
-Literally and figuratively, open your eyes. Pay attention to what you feel about what is happening around you. Perceive everything with all your senses.
-Be in the moment. Resist living in the past.
- Practice acceptance. Do your best to accept your child's feelings and behaviors, even if they let you down.
-Breathe. Are you experiencing a crisis moment? Focus on your breath. Take a deep breath, fill your lungs with air and hold the thoughts in your mind in your breath. Exhale and feel your breath as it enters and leaves your body. Encourage your child to breathe even in difficult times.
-Meditate. Focusing on the breath is a big part of meditation. It only takes a few minutes each day to truly connect with yourself.
When you're in an angry situation, take a break. Take a deep breath and then fully exhale. Focus on your emotions, your environment, and your child's experience. And then to the past or come Try to stay in this moment without thinking about the future.
The first few times you try this new parenting method, you may not be able to become a conscious parent right away. However, after a while, you may realize that taking a break before reacting reduces your own stress and affects your child in a positive way.
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