Practicing mindfulness with your children

How we live in modern times? We live at a rapid pace… Increasingly psychologists warn that this way of life not only affects us in terms of health and emotional level, but also to children. One way to combat this stress is applied a method that has been called mindfulness (mindfulness with mind). Today we will see how you can apply it in day to day with your children.

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Children and mindfulness

In fact children are experts at living in the moment. However, today’s children are stressed by the pace of life in which they are immersed from birth. Or perhaps better said, before birth, because sometimes, to speed childbirth, is administered to the mother hormone oxytocin so that labor go faster.

Birth is usually a long process if the woman delivers a completely natural way and not always these rhythms are respected.

Apart from this, alerted by the growth of children with hyperactivity and behavior tics, US It has begun to mindfulness courses for children from 4 years.

Studies show that even the smallest do very well a course of this type. In US She was given to a group of 4 year olds twice a week a kind of mindfulness for half an hour over a period of 3 months. They were taught to improve care and manage excited, with special attention to kindness.

Before and after this period their social and emotional skills, control emotions and impulsive, generosity and school performance were measured. Those who had followed the course scored higher in all areas. They knew better how to calm down after being altered and taking better decisions.

There is no doubt that mindfulness is beneficial for children. Several schools, the ‘subject’ is practiced in the classroom, such as deep breathing before starting the school day. Children lay on his mat and practice breathing. It is the connection with oneself that gives a relaxing and positive effect.

Mindfulness practice at home with your children

Your family situation is more subject to tensions, as two or three children of the same age produce more noise, fight more and create more chaos than children of different ages. Therefore, it is certainly beneficial to know some guidelines that create tranquility:

• Play with your children to do together breaths. Lie with your children on the ground. Put on your bellies stuffed animal and teach them to breathe deeply. Children will watch her teddy seesaw. It is a good exercise for when children are very excited or before bedtime. It can be done from 3 to 4 years. Do not give up if the first times go wrong. Many children eventually ask these games.

• Do activities with them mindfully. Eliminates all the factors that may interfere, such as mobile. For example strolling with them without this device and acolyte at their own pace. Stop when they do, to observe or take something, etc. At one point he agreed with them not to speak for several minutes in order to better hear the sounds of the environment, such as birdsong and the sound of a tractor in the distance. Then you count ye what each perceived.

• Make sure that every day there are some times when you’re really with them, without further obligations or other elements that disperse your attention (mobile, internet). Today it is very common to have mobile hand in every moment and talk to the children, while at the same time you read new messages. This for you and the children means scattered attention. It puts you in a state of stress, even if you think you can handle it all. Many adults sleep badly and because of their multitasking. So, it sounds impossible, put the mobile mode ‘plane’, at least for a few hours. Only then you will become fully with them. You’ll notice how everything will be better, because children perceive if you speak with attention or absent middle. And so your command (‘children to bed now’) best reach them.

• Create home a corner of silence, such as a comfortable chair to retire and be quiet. Children can be taught that you are sitting in this corner, we should not be disturbed. It is a corner in which both parents and children took refuge.

• Enter in your everyday moments of intimacy, as put him to bed before talking with each child individually on how it went on. Young children this will be difficult; with them it may be better to give a massage, rock him in your lap for a while, singing a song or read a story. Any activity that you enjoy it and you calm down (note that there are games that accelerate them even more).

• Teach them from childhood; from age 2 names for your mood. As ‘I’m sad, angry, happy, surprised’, etc. Also express your own emotions. This will help them to better understand themselves and know how they feel inside. But they understand that emotions since childhood come and go and that it’s okay to be angry, because it is a normal emotion that then give way to another.

• If it yourself (it) you feel really stressed or weighing the possibility of taking a course in yoga, meditation or mindfulness. It will bring many benefits, not only you, but also your children.

One last tip for you:

Try to have a few moments in the day of mindfulness for you. For example, in the return home from work, do not use this time to read your mail, but to relax and just be. Feel you’re tired, your emotions, your desire to get home … or whatever you have on you. So you connect with yourself and you’re more relaxed for hours waiting for you at home.