Why do moms need to meditate?
Photo by Yan Krukov from Pexels
It’s no secret that motherhood is stressful. You worry about your crying newborn, your preschooler’s developmental milestones, and your teenager’s social life. In other words, there’s always something to worry about as your children grow up.
Now, it’s also not a secret that motherhood is busy. You may wonder how you can blow off steam when all your free time goes to raising your kids. As it turns out, a bit of meditation can go a long way – and it might be time for you to incorporate this stress-relieving practice into your daily schedule. Here’s why.
Meditation reduces stress
Let’s start with the most obvious benefit of meditation — when you practice regularly, your stress levels go down. This isn’t just an anecdotal claim, though. The brain produces a hormone called cortisol when you’re stressed out. And cortisol stokes the release of cytokines, bodily chemicals that cause inflammation.
But one study showed that a bit of meditation could help calm that inflammation. After an eight-week mindfulness meditation course, participants had less inflammation when they felt stress. Because mom life can cause this tension to erupt in you, too, it’s worthwhile to counteract its effects with a bit of meditation.
Meditation fights anxiety, too
It’s not just stress that falls away with a bit of meditation. It’s a wonderful way to fizzle any lingering anxiety, too.
This ties in with stress reduction, of course. If your stressors start to disappear – or begin to feel less overwhelming – your anxiety levels will go down, too. So, regular meditation can reduce some of that mommy worry and get you back to your old calm-and-confident self.
Meditation bolsters your memory
Do you find yourself forgetting about teacher meetings, soccer practices, or dance recitals? It could be that your memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be.
Regular meditation clears your mind and makes you more attentive, too. So, if you often zone out during important conversations, it could be worthwhile to start meditating. You’ll be grounded in the present and focused. In turn, this will help you remember the most important engagements in your upcoming schedule.
Meditation makes us kinder
It can be tough to be a mom when you’re stressed out. You may have a shorter fuse with your kids, which will leave you feeling guilty when they inevitably set you off.
Mindfulness and meditation make it easier for you to be empathetic, though. Most practitioners will encourage you to see the world from others’ perspectives. And if you stop and think about how your shortness might hurt your little ones, well, you will probably be a bit kinder to them in spite of the day you’ve had.
But you’ll also remember to be kinder to yourself, too. It’s normal that we are hard on ourselves as moms. We want to be perfect and create the best lives for our children, and when things don’t go to plan, we beat ourselves up. But not anymore, if mindfulness meditation has anything to do with it. Instead, you’ll learn to think of yourself fondly once again.
Meditation improves sleep
Another mom-centric bonus of meditation is that it helps you sleep. And, no matter how old your kids are, you know how important it is for you to be rested and restored when it’s time to face a new day.
For new moms, especially, insomnia can be a big issue. It’s linked to postpartum depression — and a lack of sleep will only make those feelings worse. But meditation can help lull you into a solid night’s sleep. With more practice, too, you can learn how to refocus your thoughts so they don’t race at night. Instead, you can clear your head and fall asleep as you used to do.
Meditation can boost your immune system
Meditation isn’t just a boon to your mental health. It can improve your physical health as well.
Experts have found that meditation can boost the immune system. And if you’ve ever been around children of a certain age, you know how important it is for you to have a strong one. They bring home an endless supply of germs and colds from school — with a stronger immune system, you can protect yourself from constantly getting sick, too.
Bottom line: Moms need to meditate
As you can see, there are so many benefits for moms who start to meditate. You’ll feel better physically and mentally — even your internal systems will get stronger with a bit of mindfulness.
Now that you know why you need to meditate, it’s up to you to do the rest. Find a few spare minutes in the morning or evening to sit quietly with yourself. Use a guided meditation video to get you started as you learn how to ground yourself in the present, feel your best, and become the mom you want to be.