Parenting is a super challenging job. No leaves, no holidays. This 24*7-job is amazingly rewarding yet it has its own challenges! Parenting newborns and toddlers is harder than parenting grown-up children. Young children are totally dependent on their parents. New parents also learn parenting from scratch. Odd times of eating and sleeping become a part and parcel of life. How to hold your nerve in this overwhelming phase of life! Meditation can help. Let’s find out how!
A happy state of mind:
Living in the moment with joy, alertness and compassion is enlightenment.
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Meditation helps us create the conditions necessary for a happy state of mind. It boosts the five pillars of happiness:
- Kindness
- Empathy
- Playfulness
- Inner balance
- Contentment
With regular practice, we step away from conflicting internal dialogues to reconnect with a happy state of mind, innate to our existence. Happy parents are better equipped to take on the challenges of parenting toddlers. When we are happy, we feel more energetic.
Meditation helps working parents to bring a seamless balance between their professional and private lives. Responsibilities don’t turn up as a burden anymore.
Stress buster:
The cause of distress is set concepts in the mind that things should be a certain way.
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
We respond to a stressful situation by either facing it or running away from it, popularly known as the flight-or-fight response. When we stay in a prolonged state of agitation, it damages our body in multiple ways. A few of the physical side-effects of chronic stress are as follows:
- Heart disease
- Weight gain
- Hair loss
- Headaches
- Sexual dysfunction
Stress response and meditation response are contrary to each other. Meditation relaxes the mind and body. Restoration of calmness helps repair the damages caused by the stress response.
Constant attention and the rest of other demanding needs of toddlers turn the day-clock upside down. Stress is bound to rush in. Meditation anytime is the chill pill to rely on. A meditation routine is not applicable for the parents of toddlers. Any quieter moments can be turned into meditation moments.
Ease the anxiety disorder:
Anxiety can go away through pranayama, knowledge and meditation. Know that someone is taking care of you.
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Anxiety gives rise to distracting thoughts. It kills the ability to distinguish a problem-solving thought from a nagging worry. And there is no dearth of subjects to worry about when you are a parent of a toddler. A simple sniffing or coughing can trigger unending sets of whats, whys and hows!
Meditation helps quell generalized anxiety disorder marked by uncontrolled worries, irritability and poor sleep. Research conducted by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in the year 2013 has established that meditation activates certain areas of the brain involved in the control of worrying.
Lower stress levels translate to lower anxiety. Meditation improves the coping capability against stress and stress reactivity. It also improves positive self-statements. New parents become more confident in their new shoes when they practice meditation regularly.
