Stress for Parents
The American Psychology Association found that 46% of parents say their average stress is between eight to ten on a ten-point scale. This is a concerning percentage as almost half of the parents reported being at the highest end of the scale. The pandemic and factors impacted by this big adjustment can cause stress, anxiety, and depression. According to the American Psychology Association job security, financial stress, online learning, safety, and missing milestones are major stressors for parents. The increasing stress of the pandemic and trying to adjust is hard for any individual, but even harder for parents who are also trying to help their children make that adjustment. Mindfulness has been found to reduce anxiety and depression in addition to building resilience.
Why Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a practice using your breathing, mind, sight, sound, or other senses to help calm the body and reduce stress. Parents may wonder why they would start a mindfulness routine and how would mindfulness benefit their ability to parent. Parents can use mindfulness techniques to listen more openly with their children, create better emotional awareness, and regulate their own emotions. If individuals who are looking to become parents or already are parents are made aware of the benefits of mindfulness, they may be more likely to start building a routine. While mindfulness can be a great tool for parents to ease stress alone, mindfulness can also be a family activity. Parents are able to include their children in learning and implementing mindfulness as it will benefit the child’s emotional regulation and understanding. Mindfulness can be a bonding activity for all members of the family to participate in together.
Mindfulness Resources
Mindfulness practices can be found across the web, a quick search on google, YouTube, or even TikTok will help you find mindfulness practices that fit your needs. Additionally, here are some mindfulness resource options:
A Mindfulness Exercise to Calm Your Emotions:
5-Minute Meditation You Can Do Anywhere:
