Meditate To A Better You
By: Jean Crockett
Meditation is crucial for dads raising daughters as with this tool you can learn to be present in the moment while managing stress and handling any situation fatherhood can bring. With meditation, you will be able to breathe better and have mastery of your emotions: two aspects that are very useful when we have to regulate the emotional turmoil of our children. There is nothing like the feeling of calm so you can go throughout your day making the right choices with confidence!
Investing in yourself by meditating can be beneficial in these following ways:
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Reduction of stress, suffering and negativity;
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Increased well-being, inner peace and joy;
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Calm the mind and encourage the search for calm before deciding on interventions and punishments;
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Cultivate mindfulness in the various aspects of being a father;
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Improve your acceptance skills;
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Broaden the prospects for solving difficulties;
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Improve your relationship with your children in respect to bonding, empathy, presence and kindness;
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Make it easier to recognize the specific qualities of each child.
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We can't always change some of the conditions that are part of our life at any given time. Rather, it’s about learning not to amplify problems, letting the little things go by, and starting to appreciate what is already there while conserving our energies for what matters.
New to meditation? Here’s how even beginners can get started:
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Waking up at least 5 minutes earlier in the morning to do so.
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Meditating while the kids take a nap.
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Using a timer and saving at least 5 minutes to your meditation practice.
You can do it with something as easy as focusing on your breath, taking a break from the chaos of the daily routine, or you can rely on a guided meditation audio/video for specific goals like anxiety relief, sleep, stress management, and so on.
If you struggle to find the time to meditate, return to breathing throughout the day. To do this, you can use your phone's alarm clock (an example of mindful use of technology), post-its or other items to help you get back to where you are.
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Returning to the breath will help you return to the present and, over time, create space between you and your worries, which you can observe with a little more lightness. You don't have to change it or visualize it, just try to feel it and notice the sensations of the air coming in and the air coming out.
If you can make it formal… go with the flow!
We spend most of our days in pursuit of purpose. Children, on the other hand, force us to partially deviate from our plans and remind us that sometimes - for them, fortunately, much more often than for us - the most important thing is… to have fun!
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So when your child invites you to have fun, stop for a moment and ask yourself if it's really all that necessary to stick to your previously set goals, or if it no longer makes sense for everyone to enjoy the fun!
Remember that your ability to give love, together with your ability to manage stress are highly predictive factors. Furthermore, it helps to have a relationship that is as peaceful as possible with the other parent, regardless of whether you are married, separated or divorced. Even for your relationships with other adults, practicing mindfulness can really be a surprising cure-all.
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When the dad is okay, their child will follow suit. Meditation just may be the key to unlock you, and your child’s potential.
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Jean Crockett has been practicing meditation for 3 years now. In his spare time, he enjoys teaching others the way to enlightenment. He is a father to two sons, Eric and Edmund who he shares with his wife Sara.