Being stressed out as a parent can happen to the best of us. Being a parent requires a lot of patience and is one of the hardest jobs in the world. While many parents will argue that a parent should be paid far more than most high-end occupations, it’s not a job that one will be compensated in money for.
Today we wanted to help all stressed-out parents with some tips to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness can go a long way in helping you reduce parenting-related stress all the while encouraging you to be a better parent.
Notice the Stress
The first step towards being more mindful in your parenting life is to notice when you’re starting to feel stressed. Acknowledge this feeling and try to determine what’s triggering the stress. If you need to stop what you’re doing to take a moment and recollect your thoughts, do it! Pausing to notice the stress you’re feeling and immediately taking action to curb it will help you reduce stress and be more mindful about how you respond to stressors.
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Do Not Speak
Whenever you’re feeling completely stressed-out and your kids come running into the room talking a mile a minute, do not speak! You must remain mindful of what words come out of your mouth to your kids because you can’t ever take those words back. Be more aware of your stress limits and simply tell your kids that you need a moment. Once you’re calm, go find your kids and hear what they have to say.
Wait for Stress to Reduce
For some stressed-out parents, it’s not easy to wait until the stress is gone because you’ve been living a stressed lifestyle for too long before coming to this article to learn more about mindfulness. Sadly, you’re not alone! If you can go sit alone and do something to relax and chill your stress levels enough to be more mindful and present with your kids, do it! If you find that the stress just won’t go away, then ask your partner to parent for a bit while you collect yourself and calm down.
Being a parent doesn’t have to mean running around stressed-out all of the time. You can be a stress-free parent who is more present, mindful, and calm during the high points of your day. Use our tips shared above to create a new habit of handling stress before you explode at your kids or family.