- Motherhood Melbourne
Five ways mums can bring mindfulness into their everyday routine
Are you always in rush mode? Constantly crying out about how busy you are? Then, crashing at night to the point that you’re too tired to join the nation in watching the ever addictive Married at First Sight?
STOP – Mindfulness time!
Mindfulness sounds like one of those buzz words, however unlike the ThighMaster, it’s here to stay. There are so many benefits for mums to be mindful each day. Rhiannon of The Wellbeing Web, shows us how easy it is to weave it into our routine. As a wellbeing coach for mums, Rhiannon has the tools and experience to guide us through 5 simple ways we can start being more present.
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Incorporating mindfulness into your day as a mum is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and your children. Being mindful doesn’t have to be difficult! In fact, by making a few small changes to your daily routine, mindfulness will soon become second nature. To get you started, here are five of the easiest ways to bring mindfulness into your day.
1. MINI MEDITATIONS As a mum, a mini meditation or ‘mindful-breathing’ is a brilliant practice to include in your daily routine. By doing so, you instantly focus your attention to the present moment. Your breath is one of your greatest wellbeing tools, which is why mindful-breathing is a wonderful way to reset how you feel in any given moment.
Put simply, a mini meditation is when you consciously pause and enjoy a few slow, deep breaths. It can be easy to dismiss a mini meditation as unimportant or useless, however, it is worth its wellbeing weight in gold. You might decide to do this before every meal or just before you start up the engine of your car. You may also wish to invite your children to take a few deep breaths with you. Whichever way you decide to incorporate a mini meditation, the most important thing is remembering to do so!
2. SELF-COMPASSION As mums, we have the tendency to be quite hard on ourselves. Tune into the way you talk to yourself each day – what is the tone of your self-talk? Is it mostly positive or mostly negative? When you catch yourself talking to yourself harshly, for example, “I shouldn’t have done that”, “I’m so silly”, “I’ll never be good at” and so on – CATCH yourself and stop!
Being aware of this continuous commentary is the key to being more self-compassionate. When you are aware of the way you talk to yourself, you can make the decision to change your tone to a more supportive one. This is mindfulness in action! Being mindful of the way we treat ourselves as we move through our day is crucial to how we feel. The better we treat ourselves the better we feel. Be conscious of your inner chat, and talk to yourself like you would to a good friend.
3. TREASURE YOUR TIME As a mum, your time is precious, it’s one of the most valuable resources you have. Cherish and prioritise your time each day. Know what is important to you and make sure you schedule it in. When you do this, you reiterate and affirm the things that really matter to you.
It is also important to give yourself permission to say no to anything that doesn’t resonate with you (whenever possible) and say yes to events and activities that light you up. Having a jam-packed schedule can increase stress levels, therefore scheduling less into your day allows more space for rest, play and time to enjoy and appreciate the beautiful experiences that fill each day. Choose to eliminate the ‘busyness’ bug from your day and affirm to yourself, “I have all the time I need.” Talking about time in a positive way (and removing the word busy from your vocab) can have a profound effect on how you feel as you go about your day.
4. SLOW DOWN As mums, we’re always on the move, rushing from here to there. Rarely do we slow down to appreciate all the special moments along the way. By consciously choosing to slow down when you feel yourself rushing, you are choosing to nurture your everyday wellbeing and what a precious gift that is!
Don’t be afraid to talk to those around you about how you are making an effort to slow down. Taking the time to share with your children that you are choosing to go a little slower (rather than always being in rush-rush mode) can have an immensely powerful effect not only on you but on how those around you feel too. Slowing down creates a conscious and peaceful ripple effect. Adding the ‘slow down’ element is an easy way to bring mindfulness to the busiest of days.
5. SET THE TONE OF YOUR DAY The way you begin your day tends to be the way your day flows. This is an essential morning wellbeing tool for mums. As you wake up each morning, spend a few minutes setting up the tone of your day.
Begin your day with a PAP (Positive Action Plan). The PAP consists of asking yourself three key questions: 1. How do I want to feel today? (INTENTION) 2. What am I grateful for? (GRATITUDE) 3. What are my top three priorities? (PRIORITIES)
The daily PAP helps you to design your day in advance and is the perfect framework for all mums to use as a check-in throughout the day.
A few times a day, ask yourself, “How am I feeling? Am I in alignment with my intention?” By checking-in with yourself, you bring focus to your feelings and you become mindful about how you actually feel. Once you are aware of how you feel you then have the choice to respond in a way that nurtures your wellbeing. For example, if you are feeling stressed you may decide to pause and do a mini meditation.
The other benefit of setting the tone of your day as you wake up is that you have the opportunity to celebrate each evening as you go to sleep, rather than running through the list of things you didn’t do or could have done better. By setting your top three priorities for the day, you can look back and celebrate the things you’ve achieved. What a beautiful way to end the day!
Even as a busy mum, now that you know just how simple it really is to bring mindfulness into your routine, you can enjoy the benefits and watch your day blossom.
ABOUT THE WELLBEING WEB
A place to inspire and empower mums to nurture their everyday wellbeing.
Biz owner: Rhiannon Colarossi
Hood: Strathmore
Children: I have two (crazy and beautiful) children who keep me on my toes – Jonathan 8 years and Madeleine 5 years old.
Fav family-friendly place: Queens Park in Moonee Ponds
Coffee order: Weak, skinny latte
instagram.com/rhiannoncolarossi
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