“Enjoy it now, because it goes by too fast.”
The mantra of motherhood.. Enjoy it now, because it goes by too fast.
I know you’ve heard it a million times and you’re about to stop reading because, yet again, you’re rolling your eyes at this statement and ready to move on. BUT WAIT!
Just hear me out on this!
How do you feel that you’re doing as a mom? How do you feel about packing up your kids’ clothes as they move up to the next size? How do you feel when you’re picking up toys again? How do you feel what your baby says a new word? How do you feel about your motherhood?
Is it going too fast? Are you missing any of it?
I’m sorry to ask so many questions, but I really need you to think about this. Really think.
Now back to our original statement: enjoy it now, because it goes by too fast. Does it hit different this time? I thought it might.
Let’s do something about it, then. Let’s enjoy our motherhood. Let’s enjoy their childhood. Let’s do this.
Let’s be present in every moment, really experience the now as it’s happening. Let’s stop looking back and saying it went too fast, that we missed it even though we were there the whole time. Let’s quit obsessing over the past and stop worrying about the future and just BE HERE with our kids. BE HERE in this moment, right now. Carpe diem, my friend.
Mindfulness. That’s how we are going to do this. Mindfulness is literally the act of being present in the moment – and no one needs this more than moms. Moms have the most important role in our universe. We birth the next generation, we feed the next generation, we raise the next generation, we are THE most influential people with THE most important job and we deserve to fully experience ALL of it!
No more missing out. No more crying as we pack away baby clothes. No more feeling like bad moms because we were busy with something else. No more. We are so much better than this. We are raising the future. We are holding up our entire society. We are the reason humanity carries on. My friend, don’t you ever feel inadequate. You are so much.
9 ways to experience the now and be mindful as a mother
Meditation
This is simple. Find somewhere quiet (okay that part isn’t always simple), sit in a comfortable position, focus on your breath, feel the inhale, feel the exhale… Experience exactly what’s happening now. Do not reflect on the past or be concerned with the future. You only exist right this moment, live in this moment and feel your breath. Take a moment to check in with your body, mind, and spirit.
There are a ton of really great guided meditations on YouTube, too, if that’s what you prefer. Go check those out and find one that really works for you. (Share your favorites in the comments so we can all give them a listen!)
Journal
Grab your favorite pen and a notebook and just let your stream of consciousness go. You can start by brain dumping, just write everything that comes to mind and keep on going with it. This is a fantastic way to clear your mind. When we see things written out on paper, we don’t feel like we need to continue to obsess over them.
Practice the Pause
Kids can be a little much sometimes, amiright? The Pause is your new best friend. The Pause is your moment. The Pause is for peace keepers. When ish starts to get out of control – aka, kids being kids – take a moment to pause. Close your eyes. Take a deeeeep breath, hold a moment, and release. Exhale the breath and release those negative feelings. Breath in the moment as it exists. Plant your feet into the ground and feel right where you are. Exhale and release the past. Be the calm your children need to see you as. Be the calm you wish you were. Be the calm, because you are the calm. Be right here, even when the moment isn’t ideal, be right here in this moment.
Get Outside
Nothing feels more like the present than nature. The air, the grass, the trees, the flowers, the rocks… They all have a long history, they have a future ahead of them. But they are only concerned with this moment. Breath the air that exists right now. Feel the grass as it exists right now. Take in the view of the trees and the flowers as they are right now, tomorrow they may not be in bloom. Be in nature. Be nature.
Movement
Get moving. Engage in an activity that requires you to be fully present. Something like bicycling, frisbee, playing catch… Do something that makes the rest of the world fall away, so all you see is what’s happening right now.
Stop Multitasking
Commit to doing one task at a time. Be fully there. If you’re washing dishes, wash dishes. If you’re watching your kids play, watch them play. If you’re drinking coffee, then drink coffee. Resist the urge to pull out your phone, to turn on the tv, to think about anything but what’s happening right now.
*Of course, sometimes we have to multitask or things just won’t get done. I listen to podcasts while cooking dinner, I’m not saying never do that. But for at least one thing every day, don’t multitask. Commit to doing one activity each day, where you don’t do anything else.
Just Breathe
Breathe. Focus on every breath as you inhale and exhale. Just breathe, that’s it.
Explore your Emotions
Don’t try to move past your emotions every time, but really feel into them. Explore what emotions are coming up in you and question why you feel this way. Don’t try to change it or avoid it, just feel it. Bad feelings are only called “bad” because they are uncomfortable. Of course, you don’t want to stay in any negative feelings, but feel them, explore them and move on from them.
Experience the Now
Focus on right now. Take in all of what’s happening in this moment and forget everything else. Experience the right now, and only the right now. Let go of anxiety, let go of the past, let go of everything that doesn’t need you right now. Just be. Exist. And enjoy this moment. Be all here.
Do you feel like you’re kids’ childhood is just passing you by, or are you really present for it?
How can you practice mindfulness to get the most out of each day?
The Happy Mom-Brain is here!
You want peace. You want joy. You want to remember who you are. You want to be the best mom, wife, woman that you can be.
Take the first step on this journey to enjoying your life and grab your copy of The Happy Mom-Brain.
