![Stop Sign]()
Give yourself — and your children a break. Use this elegant little Mindful Stopping Meditation that all parents can do, anytime, anywhere, anyhow. How do you do it? Glad you asked. STOP. just stop.
- Step One: STOP when you are in the middle of doing something, stop when you are in the middle of doing nothing, stop especially when you are upset with your children or about to get dis-regulated or just about any time. Got it?
- Step Two: LOOK. Yes, just look around you. See what already see, see what you are not seeing or aware of and see what your eyes have been missing. Look for something new – anything.
- Step Three: LISTEN. Yup, you guessed it. Just listen to all the sounds you were hearing and those sounds you were not aware of. Notice one thing that you were not aware of.
- Step Four: FEEL. What does “you” feel like?. Just feel what you are feeling and especially at a sensory level – what are you sensing (temperature, tension, pressure somewhere, feet on the floor)? (Can you feel the difference when you walk from one room into another?) What do you notice?
- Step Five: THANK YOU. Before you return to life as you left it, this is a good time to say “Thank You”, Thank You Lord, Thank You God or whatever phrase connects you to something bigger than yourself. After all, you can use all the help you can get, right?
SUMMARY: Use all 5 (or more) senses to discover what you might have been missing. Takes 15 – 30 seconds. Anyone can afford that. Do it often. This is great to use in conjunction with your breathing to calm yourself. Be a role model for self-regulation. Try this a few times on the hour today — and on an as needed basis in between. What do you discover? How do your kids respond when mommy or daddy is doing their Stopping Meditation?
Learn More about Love Based Family-Centered Parenting
Give yourself — and your children a break. Use this elegant little Mindful Stopping Meditation that all parents can do, anytime, anywhere, anyhow. How do you do it? Glad you asked. STOP. just stop.