Thriving New Mama

Who has tried sitting for five minutes and was uninterrupted? I CELEBRATE WITH YOU.

That is a rare gift for me. And for a while, it frustrated me. I’d snap at my poor toddler, “I’m meditating! Give me some time, please!”

Yet, mindfulness is such a useful grounding technique. It also contributes to so much personal growth. When you can notice your body and emotions, you can pick up on what you might need and set boundaries. When you notice hesitations, you can pause and curiously wonder where these hesitations might come from.

You also connect better with your gut feeling.

If you’re new to mindfulness or find it challenging to get much quiet alone time, try my favourite three micro-practices.

5,4,3,2,1

This is so simple. And I love list, so this makes it SO easy to remember.

Observe for

• 5 things you see
• 4 things you hear
• 3 things you feel
• 2 things you smell
• 1 thing you taste

It’s intentionally in this order because that’s the order that works for me. You could try this and then change it up. You might notice your sense of hearing is quite acute and you can pick up on a few things in your surrounding.

An alternative to this is to focus on ONE SENSE and name as many things as you observe in the environment.

I see a red car. Oh, now I see a bird fly up. Hey, the leaves on the tree is rustling.  

Let your mind flow.

Noticing my breath

I know *roll eyes* this is so common and doesn’t work for me. I thought so too! What did the trick was noticing my breath at SPECIFIC PARTS OF MY BODY.

• Notice your breath at your nostrils, going in and out.
• Notice your breath at your ribcage, expanding and relaxing.
• Notice your cheeks as you inhale and exhale.
• Notice your shoulders as you inhale and exhale.

The last two are my favourite. They get me to focus on my body posture.

If I notice my shoulders heaving up and down, or my cheeks being exceptionally tense, I intentionally relax them. That small act of self-care feels like a warm hug around my body.

Sighing aloud

Another way I draw attention to my breath is by SIGHING ALOUD. You can drag it for as long as you can and as loudly as you feel comfortable doing. This also activates the vagus nerve and is a great grounding exercise.

Child crying non-stop and flailing around. We’ve all been there. Try this.