Mindfulness for Mums and Dads Proven strategies for calming down and connecting

‘She smiled and said with an ecstatic air: ‘It shines like a diamond’,

‘What does?’

‘This moment. It is round, it hangs in empty space like a diamond; I am eternal.’

 Is a wonderful quote from Jean Paul Sartre, The Age of Reason, and begins Lesson 23 in this delightfully informative, life changing guide to restoring sanity in a fast changing world. This quote really does encapsulate all that is the art of Mindfulness, which is all about being there in the Moment, that fleeting, nanosecond of time, once gone, is gone forever and with it all the emotion that was embedded in that moment.

As a new parent, the emotional shift that is required is massive; often leaving you feeling overwhelmed, not just by the myriad of new responsibilities, but also learning to cope with the additional demands that family place on what was once your well-ordered life.

Many new parents and parents with an expanding family, find the demands of work, children, wider family and a social life very stressful, stresses felt by both parents who often struggle to cope.

In this work from Korevaar she looks at the many aspects of parenting, the stresses and often unreal expectations we place upon ourselves as we struggle to cope or manage, and offers a pathway through the jungle, to a fresh new perspective on parenting in today’s complex and challenging world.

The first component of the book looks at The Science of Mindfulness, looking at why we are ‘wired for negativity’, how to recognise this and how to learn to turn a negative into a positive. In each of the subsections there is a little paragraph titled Reflection’, designed to give you the tools to look at how each of the case studies in the sections resonated with you.

Part Two looks at various Techniques and Practices to try out now you are on a journey towards Mindfulness and the amazing benefits to be found. Once again divided up into Lessons, each of the lessons focuses on one aspect of negativity that can be faced and conquered.

As case studies are used within each of the frameworks the emotional impact is felt from crisis to recovery, which adds a depth of reality to the tools offered to become a component of your life, as you learn to become more Mindful on a daily basis.

Although the title indicates the book is for Mums and Dads, the information contained in the book and presented so beautifully, is something everyone will be able to resonate to, as we all struggle to cope with today’s life challenges and rapidly changing environments. Mindfulness is also learning about kindness towards yourself and others, which flows on to happiness which is there to be re-discovered on the pathway you choose to walk through life.

A refreshing look at regaining your sanity in a world that simply demands far too often, far too much!