Mindfulness for Mums.

For busy mums, mindfulness practice is a useful tool for cultivating focus and grounding amidst the whirlwind of daily responsibilities. Most mothers are stretched thin in all directions - juggling childcare, work, household tasks, and other commitments, often with no time for themselves. This takes a toll on their mental health and physical health too. Practicing mindfulness—even 10 minutes a day—allows mums to reset. This brief respite from the demands of life can help them return to their routines with a clearer mind and generally enhance their mental wellbeing and ability to emotionally regulate.

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Mindfulness can help you to enhance your emotional resilience and improve your relationships. When mums practice mindfulness, they’re better able to notice and regulate their emotions, preventing reactions that may arise from stress and frustration. Regular mindful practice can also help reduce burn out, overwhelm and anxiety. Plus, mindfulness offers busy over-worked mums an opportunity to reconnect with themselves. This is vital if you feel like you’ve lost touch with your self identity and purpose.

Top 10 Ways to Make Your Day More Mindful

1. One day at a time. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Just focus on one mindful thing for today.

2. Integrate mindfulness into your already established routine.

3. Journal. Begin a daily or weekly journal routine. You can find some free prompts for mindful journaling here.

4. Introduce your family to mindfulness. If time alone is hard, find a family activity that promotes mindfulness and do it together.

5. Delegate! You do not have to do it all on your own. Unlearn that mum guilt and start delegating more to make time for ‘you’.

6. Start a morning mindfulness ritual. This might include a morning meditation, a morning walk around the block, mindfully sipping your coffee, gratitude journaling, stretching, or a morning body scan check-in.

7. Stop multi-tasking! Focus on one thing at a time. Slow down.

8. Reduce the sensory overload. Get your hands on some noise dulling sensory-overload earplugs.

9. A weighted blanket and a good book (or podcast) as part of your routine once the kids are in bed.

10. Mindful showers/baths. In a mindful shower you get 5-15 minutes of blissful alone time (if you struggle to do this one alone, see point 5!). Slow down. Really notice how it feels to rub soap over your arms and shoulders. Feel the warm water run over your back. Really take in all that sensory stuff and enjoy.

Try implementing one of these mindfulness activities to your day. The more often you do these, the more likely it will be that you will notice you are less anxious and less overwhelmed. There is a lot in our life we can’t control (and that’s okay). Something we can control is how we choose to take care of ourselves - even for 10 minutes a day!

Being a mum can be so incredibly rewarding, but it can also be draining work. Something I hear often from women is how they feel a lot of shame and guilt around admitting that they are feeling overwhelmed with mum life. There is so much social pressure to be ‘perfect’ and ‘have it all’ and this is unrealistic. You are human. You are allowed to have hard days. You are also allowed to want a sense of self-identity that is separate to your role as mum. When you do - your family actually benefits! Because a you who has a fuller sense of self and who feels authentic is a more mentally well you.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and need support, reach out today. We can work together to get you to a place where you get to be ‘mum’ and the rest of you, too. We can work through that mum guilt, learn ways to manage anxiety and stress, and find some mum-life balance.