I know from my own experience that with the advent of a child, the life of a family changes radically: new worries appear, responsibility grows sharply. Lack of sleep becomes the norm, and not an exception, fatigue accumulates. These and other factors often lead to extreme stress or even depression. The young mother faces an important task: to get rid of the "pressure".
I will share the psychological techniques that help me relieve fatigue, switch, get rid of unnecessary stress and feel more harmonious. The peculiarity of these practices is that all of them are designed for minimum execution time (5-10 minutes) and are aimed at high results. Despite the fact that the amount of free time with the advent 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 "Five minutes I only breathe." Take a comfortable position, note the time (5 minutes or less) and just watch your breath. Feel your breath in and out. Feel what the breath is now: deep or superficial, calm or intermittent. Concentrate on breathing. After completing the exercise, note the changes in your condition. This, it would seem, a very simple exercise has a strong effect. It returns us at the present moment (present), and when we are in the present moment, we feel calm, because we are not in anxieties about the future (future) and not in regret about the past (past).
2. Mantra "Mom is happy - everyone is happy" ("Mom is happy - everyone is happy "). This mantra was offered to young mothers by R. Narushevich She needs to be spoken - aloud or to herself. It’s convenient for me to repeat this phrase mentally when I walk with the stroller - it lays well on the step.
3. Meditation "Getting rid of the negative - filling with positive." This practice is convenient for walking, but 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, all that you want to get rid of leaves your body. Feel what you would like to let go: fatigue, irritation, anger, etc. Listen to the sensations in the body that bother you: tension, tightness, stoop, etc. With each exhale, imagine how this negative (mentally say what it is) goes through the earth and leaves you. A few breaths - 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 in your mind what exactly). A few breaths - exhalations. This meditation is one of my favorites, I practice it while walking with a stroller. The state before and after this practice is two completely different states, although only a few minutes separate them.
4. Mandala therapy (mandala - drawing in a circle). Nowadays, coloring mandalas is very popular - 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, you will need a square sheet with a circle drawn on it (attach a plate to A4 sheet, circle, crop the sheet to a square), materials (pastel, paints, pencils, if desired) and some free time. The task is simple: draw what you want in a circle. I really like to draw my mandalas and colorize the finished ones - after this practice I feel pacified, as if everything was “laid out on the shelves”, and an emotional upsurge. It may seem that this practice takes a lot of time - this is not always the case, because you can proceed in stages: there is time - prepared the materials, found another five minutes - started drawing, if you are forced to interrupt - it's okay, finish then.
5. Exercise "Scan" is aimed at relaxation, relaxation. Take a comfortable pose 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 voltage after you find it. Then consciously try to relax. From my own experience, I can say that along with stress, excitement, anxiety, and other experiences go away.
6. Meditation "Stopping the mind." A fairly well-known meditation, the meaning of which is to try not to think thoughts, but to observe them. Sit back, relax, close your eyes and imagine a blue sky or a clean white screen, and floating clouds are your thoughts (thoughts, sounds, images) that come and go. Start practicing from 2-3 minutes, gradually increasing the time to 8-10 minutes. For me, the optimal time is 5 minutes. After completing this practice, I get a feeling of a "fresh head", tiredness disappears, obsessive thoughts leave.
7. The practice of “Morning Pages” is fully disclosed by Julia Cameron in the book “The Way of the Artist”. The bottom line is just to write what comes to mind, to catch the "flow", that is, not to think, but simply to write what comes now. I will give an example. "I hear the birds chirping outside the window. I remembered how I went to the store yesterday and saw a beautiful dress there. I want to sleep
“That is, we fix the flow of consciousness.“ Morning pages ”is a great practice that allows you to“ drain ”excess negative and get a discharge through it. Ideally, they should be written in the morning — this will take at least 15 minutes, but young mothers hardly have for this time, so it would be great to practice in a mode and volume that is convenient for yourself. For those who love written practices, in addition to the "Morning Pages", keeping a diary is perfect.
And finally, a few general tips:
- if you are a believer, turn to God in prayer for support;
- Do not hesitate to seek help from relatives;
- communicate with loved ones, do not ignore the difficulties, discuss current issues and jointly look for solutions;
- Find at least 5 minutes a day for playing sports (for example, exercise, stretching, fitball exercises, etc.);
- Find at least another 5 minutes a day to take care of yourself (for example, self-massage of hands and face, applying a 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, allocate 5-10 minutes daily for cleaning, and not try to do everything right away);
- if you feel that you can’t cope with stress on your own, consult a specialist;
- daily please yourself with something (even trifles, especially trifles!), give yourself gifts;
- daily 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").
Good motherhood to you!