8 Reasons Meditation Makes You a Better Mom

As moms we are constantly giving. We give advice, rides, food, answers, cleanliness, praise, organization, learning and so much more.

Sometimes all this giving, especially because it pulls us in so many directions at once, can make us feel a little scattered. OK, a LOT scattered.

And frazzled. And stressed. And frustrated – the exact opposite of what we want to feel.

Think about it. What DO you want to FEEL?

Peaceful? Grounded? Focused? Calm? Whole? Quiet? Happy? Content? Just saying these words brings brings us a nice feeling.

But how do we achieve these feelings more regularly when we have kids who are always needing things from us? Where can we find that quiet, rejuvenating me-time we crave?

As a mom of 6 kids ages 2-15, I can relate. Several years ago I hit an emotional low, feeling completely depleted, frazzled, and unfulfilled. I was weighed down by a never-ending to-do list and I felt like there was never enough time to do everything.

I felt so fragmented and chaotic inside.

My cup was empty. I needed to recharge. But I didn’t know how because my kids constantly needed “one more thing.”

The 1 Thing That Rejuvenates Us More Than Anything Else

One morning, while sitting at the kitchen table while my kids played in the other room, a thought came to mind: Jen, you’ve been treading water in the deep end of the pool for a while now. You feel like you’re barely keeping your head above water, right? So why don’t you just get out of the water and rest once in a while?

Oh. Right. Why didn’t I think of that?

So what does “getting out of the water” mean? The answer is unique for everyone. Many moms like to take vacations, or have girls-night-out, or get more sleep. All of these are amazing options.

But I was led to an even better option: meditation.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is an easy opportunity to practice the art of peace and calm. And the quickest and most effective (and free) way to feel recharged, refueled and whole is meditation.

There are many types of meditation, but the goal is to train yourself to be aware of your feelings and thoughts and to quiet your mind. When you let go of mental clutter, you’ll notice you feel less fragmented and scattered and more happy, focused and patient.

Thousands, if not millions of women around the world have discovered the power of meditation and do it regularly, including Oprah, Arianna Huffington and Ellen DeGeneres.

Traditionally meditation happens in a quiet place, either seated (cross-legged on the floor or sitting on a chair with legs uncrossed) or lying down. The main types of meditation are guided meditation (being led by vocal prompts), relaxation meditation (progressively relaxing each part of the body), and mantra meditation (repeating a sound or phrase). Other forms of meditation include yoga (combining movement and breath), taking a walk in nature, journaling, praying, and even just spending a moment being mindful.

Although there are various forms of meditation, many women believe the most powerful and cathartic meditation happens in a quiet distraction-free space during a time that is completely dedicated to meditating.

Why Meditation Makes You a Better Mom

Meditation is great for moms because it will help you:

1. Manage your emotions (decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression)
2. Let go of mental chaos and focus on what’s important
3. Be more attentive and present with your kids
4. Live in the moment instead of always worrying about what’s ahead
5. Increase your energy level
6. Have a more positive, optimistic outlook on life (radiant joy, anyone? Yes, please!)
7. Be more patient and compassionate with yourself, your children, your spouse, and others
8. Connect with your intuition (or, if you believe in a Higher Power like I do, it helps you more easily hear/feel what that divine voice is telling you)

What does this mean in the day-to-day of real life?

When your 2-year-old is having a tantrum, you’ll more easily stay calm and centered because you’ve practiced those feelings and breathing yourself into those feelings. Even if you get upset, which is human and normal, you’ll know how to breathe through those strong emotions and more quickly shift back into that calm and peaceful place.

How To Start Meditating

The easiest type of meditation for most beginners and even some experts is guided meditation. Many women like to follow guided meditation audios directly on their smartphones. Not only does the guide help you direct your focus on breathing, relaxing and decluttering the mind, but guided meditation audios are a set length of time and make it easy to fit meditating into your daily routine.

After each meditation session you’ll find yourself feeling blissfully calm and radiantly happy. And these feelings are contagious, resulting in happier children. It works!

Start now and create that feeling each morning by meditating for 5-10 minutes. Training your brain and body to shift into a relaxed, calm state causes a release of feel-good hormones, which lift your mood, your focus and make any situation throughout your day much easier to handle.

You might be asking, “But what if I don’t have time to meditate? I never stick with any new program for long anyway?”

Remember the question I asked earlier – How do you want to FEEL?

Once you feel the benefits of meditation, it will be easy to stick with it. And the more you meditate, the more you’ll transform your life and your family.

You really will become a better, happier, more focused mom by meditating each day.

Start today.

Choose a time that works for you. It might be before the kids wake up or just before you go to bed. Or even during a child’s nap. There’s no right or wrong time. The important thing is just to do it – to INVEST in YOU.

If you’d like more help beginning and establishing your own daily meditation practice, click here to join me for the FREE Mom’s 5-day Sanity Saver Meditation Challenge, which starts Monday, July 25th. You’ll get

• five guided meditation audios direct in your Inbox (one for each day of the challenge)
• access to a private Facebook support community
• daily strategies and tips from me about meditation.

Join us! And Happy Meditating!