Reduce and manage the stress that comes with caring for a new baby. Explore how meditation for new moms can help you.
Childbirth is a valuable experience that not only affects your personal life but also has a variety of effects on your social and emotional life.
During this phase of life, you need ways to positively cope with stress and anxiety. Meditation is one of the most effective ways for moms to deal with stress, which is something many new parents have to face.
Meditation is the practice of clearing your mind using a combination of physical and mental techniques. It enhances attention, emotional awareness, and mental calmness even in difficult situations. During a session of meditation, you concentrate your attention and remove a flow of confused thoughts that can potentially crowd your mind and cause stress. It is an easy, fast way to clear away the day’s stress and bring peace and calmness.
Types of meditation for new moms
Meditation is a term that covers many different ways that aim at achieving relaxation and inner peace. Here are some types of meditation you can practice:
- Mindfulness meditation. While doing mindfulness meditation, you focus on staying aware of what is happening at the moment rather than letting your mind wander about the past or the future. Listen to the body’s sensations and perceive your thoughts and feelings, letting them pass without judgment.
- Mantra meditation. In this type, you repeat a calming word or phrase to prevent a distracting thought. This helps you to experience deeper levels of awareness.
- Transcendental meditation. This is a specific practice that aims to quiet the mind and induce a state of calm and peace. It involves repeating a personally allocated word or term in a particular way. This meditation method may allow your body to be in a state of relaxation.
- Guided meditation. This meditation method helps you form mental pictures of things or situations you find connected to. This involves the use of any of the five senses. A meditation teacher or a guide may lead you through the process.
- Visualization meditation. This involves focusing on something you can see, either with your eyes or by concentrating on a mental image. Another form of visualization involves imagining yourself succeeding at a specific goal, which is intended to increase focus and motivation.
Elements of meditation for new moms
Any meditation comprises common features that help you to achieve the ultimate goal: peace and calmness.
(image source)
These features include:
- A comfortable position – You can meditate in any position that you want – lying down flat on your back, sitting on a raised platform like a chair or bench, or sitting on a flat surface with your legs folded. Just be comfortable.
- Open attitude – Do not judge what will pass through your mind.
- Quiet setting – Practicing meditation in a quiet environment may be easier because there are few distractions.
- Relaxed breathing – Aim at slow breathing and taking in more oxygen.
- Focused attention. Focusing your attention will help free your mind from distractions that cause stress and anxiety.
Practicing meditation alone
Whichever way you want to practice meditation (formal or informal), do what fits your lifestyle and circumstances. All you need is quality time for meditation.
For different reasons, many new moms practice meditation on their own. If this way suits you, here are ways you can do it:
- Breath deeply. Deep breaths help you to focus on breathing and prevent your mind from wandering through distracting thoughts.
- Focus on your love and kindness. This helps you increase how connected you are to others.
- Walk and meditate. Combining meditation and walking is an excellent and healthy way to relax.
Benefits of meditation for new parents
The benefits of meditation don’t end when your sessions end. It can help carry your day calmly and relaxed. When you meditate, you clear the information overload that can lead to stress.
The benefits can manifest in various ways depending on how you do it, where you do it, and your frequency. Most people find it helpful for reducing stress and anxiety, letting go of mental distractions, and better management of emotions. An important and more visible benefit is that you’re more present and attentive to your baby.
It is crucial to remember that taking care of your mental health has a strong impact on your overall health and well-being. With consistent meditation, you may experience improvements in the quality of your sleep, lowered blood pressure, and improved function of your heart. Meditation for new moms may also be helpful if one has other medical conditions, especially those triggered by stress, including anxiety, depression, tension headaches, and high blood pressure.
So, are you ready to try out meditation to deal with the everyday stress of being a new mom? Remember, any change in lifestyle, small or big, is not easy. You can start simple, like doing only 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation once per day. Once you see how it works for you over a few days or weeks, you can increase the time to 20 minutes or even try other types of meditation. You can do this, mama!