I know from my own experience that with the advent of a child, the life of a family changes radically: new concerns appear, responsibility sharply increases. Lack of sleep is becoming the norm, not an exception, fatigue builds up. These and other factors often lead to extreme stress or even depression. The young mother is faced with an important task: to get rid of the "pressure".
I will share psychological techniques that help me to relieve fatigue, switch, get rid of excess stress and feel more harmonious. The peculiarity of these practices is that they are all designed for a minimum execution time (5-10 minutes) and are aimed at high results. Despite the fact that the amount of free time with the appearance of a child is reduced catastrophically, I am convinced that you can always find 5 minutes daily for personal self-development (for example, while walking on the street or when the baby is sleeping).
1. Technique "I can only breathe for five minutes." Get into a comfortable position, time it (5 minutes or less) and just watch your breathing. Feel the inhalation and exhalation. Feel how the breathing is now: deep or shallow, calm or intermittent. Concentrate on your breathing. After completing the exercise, note the changes in your condition. This seemingly very simple exercise has a strong effect. It brings us back to the present moment (present), and when we are in the present moment, we feel peace, because we are not in anxiety about the future (future) and not in regret about the past (past).
2. Mantra “Mom is happy - everyone is happy”. This mantra was offered to young mothers by R. A. Narushevich. It needs to be pronounced - aloud or to yourself. It is convenient for me to repeat this phrase mentally when I walk with the stroller - it fits well on a step.
3. Meditation "Getting rid of the negative - filling with the positive." This practice is convenient for walking, but it can be performed in any other conditions, the main thing is to stand or walk on the ground (or on the floor). So, imagine how with each exhalation everything that you want to get rid of leaves your body. Feel what you would like to let go: tiredness, irritation, anger, etc. Listen to the sensations in the body that bother you: tension, tightness, stoop, etc. With each exhalation, imagine how this negative (say in your mind what it is) goes through the ground and leaves you. Several inhalations - exhalations. Next, think about how you would like to feel now: to feel relaxation, calmness, confidence, strength, energy, etc. Imagine how with each breath you are filled with positive (say mentally what exactly). Several inhalations - exhalations. This meditation is one of my favorites and I practice it while walking with a stroller. The state before and after this practice are two completely different states, although they are separated by only a few minutes.
4. Mandala therapy (mandala - drawing in a circle). Coloring mandalas is very popular now - it harmonizes. You can either paint ready-made mandalas (download images from the Internet) or create your own masterpieces. If you want to go the second way, then you will need a square sheet with a circle drawn on it (attach a plate to A4 sheet, circle, cut the sheet to a square), materials (optional - pastels, paints, pencils) and some free time. The task is simple: draw what you want in the circle. I really like to draw my mandalas, and to paint ready-made ones - after this practice I feel peace, as if everything is "unraveled", and an emotional upsurge. It may seem that this practice takes a lot of time - this is not always the case, because you can act in stages: there is time - we prepared the materials, found another five minutes - we started drawing, if we have to interrupt - it's okay, finish later.
5. Exercise "Scanning" is aimed at relaxation, relaxation. Get into a comfortable position and concentrate on the sensations of your body. As if with a ray of light, enlighten your body completely and reveal what is tense - areas of tension. Observe what happens to the stress after you discover it. Next, consciously try to relax. From my own experience, I can say that along with stress, worries, anxieties, and other experiences go away.
6. Cessation of the Mind Meditation. A fairly well-known meditation, the meaning of which is that you need to try not to think thoughts, but to observe them. Sit back, relax, close your eyes and imagine a blue sky or a pure white screen in front of you, and floating clouds are your thoughts (thoughts, sounds, images) that come and go. Start practicing with 2-3 minutes, gradually increasing the time to 8-10 minutes. For me, the optimal time is 5 minutes. After completing this practice, I have a feeling of a "fresh head", fatigue disappears, obsessive thoughts go away.
7. The practice of "Morning Pages" is fully disclosed by Julia Cameron in the book "The Artist's Way". The point is simply to write what comes to mind, to catch the "flow", that is, not to think, but simply to write what comes now. Let me give you an example. “I can hear the birds chirping outside the window. I remembered going to the store yesterday and seeing a beautiful dress there. I want to sleep …”That is, we fix the stream of consciousness. "Morning Pages" is an excellent practice that allows you to "drain" excess negativity and get relaxation through it. Ideally, they should be written in the morning - this will take at least 15 minutes, but young mothers hardly have time for this, so it would be great to practice in a convenient mode and volume. For those who love writing practices, journaling is perfect aside from Morning Pages.
- if you are a believer, turn to God in prayer for support;
- do not hesitate to seek help from loved ones;
- communicate with loved ones, do not hide the difficulties, discuss topical issues and jointly look for solutions;
- find at least 5 minutes a day for sports (for example, exercise, stretching, exercise on fitball, etc.);
- find at least another 5 minutes a day for self-care (for example, self-massage of hands and face, application of cream, face mask, etc.)
- find at least 2 hours a week for hobbies and hobbies, that is, for those activities that fill, give strength and energy;
- do not worry about the mess in the house - there is no ideal order with a small child, try to organize all household chores in an optimal way (for example, set aside 5-10 minutes daily for cleaning, and not try to do everything at once);
- if you feel that you cannot cope with stress on your own, contact a specialist;
- make yourself happy with something every day (even with little things, especially with little things!), make yourself gifts;
- every day find at least 5 reasons for gratitude: thank God, the Universe, loved ones for something specific (it is better to do this in writing - keep a "Diary of gratitude").
