Mindfulness for new parents: how to manage stress.

Tips on stress management for the arrival of the first child, from the Mindfulness philosophy.

The arrival of a child into the world is a moment full of joy and happiness, tenderness, numerous and intense emotions. This comes together with more responsibilities, since a child comes into the world helpless and totally dependent twenty-four hours a day.

Being a parent implies that life changes completely, and along with the countless joys of the arrival of a child, numerous insecurities appear, such as fears about the ability to be good caregivers, comparisons with other parents, etc. All this together with stressful situations such as not knowing what is happening to them (especially in the early stages when they are not yet able to talk), schedule changes, lack of sleep...

These situations, together with the insecurities described above, can push parents to the limit and cause stress to seriously affect their emotional stability. stress can seriously affect their emotional stability and their performance in any activity. and their performance in any activity.

The importance of stress management in parenthood

Although there are many helpful books and tutorials on raising babies and how to deal with this moment, the reality is that when a parent has their baby in their arms, everything they read can help, but it will not be an instruction manual with all the answers.

Constant worry about our child, physical and mental fatigue, lack of time as a couple, lack of time with our partner, lack of time with us, and so on, all of this can help.The lack of time as a couple, the reduction of leisure time, etc. There are many changes almost immediately that if we do not learn to cope with, they can cause us many problems due to stress.

Therefore, it is important to take into account a series of recommendations that can help us to go through this moment of happiness and uncertainty at the same time.

1. Express the emotions and thoughts that are generating this stress.

Being exposed to comparison and social judgment causes much suffering in parents with doubts and fears, because they do not dare to expose themselves to the world.

Lean on your loved ones, on your partner, on relatives who have children, on friends, on people you trust, on people you can trust.Try to rest, in people you trust with whom you are not afraid of that judgment and with whom you can express yourself freely.

2. Try to rest

Especially in the earliest stage of babies, the sleep of the adult will be altered and reduced.. This causes irritability, due to tiredness and increased activity. It is important to rest the hours of sleepIt is important to rest the hours of sleep, so that the sleep is as restful as possible.

3. Take care of your diet

The baby's nutrition and safety are a priority.. However, many parents tend to eat anything and usually not in the quantities they need. That is why it is important to pay attention to what you are going to eat; it is not a question of making elaborate recipes, but of having a healthy diet.

4. Incorporate physical activity that you enjoy

The release of dopamine during any sporting activity will help to balance stress levels. will help to balance stress levels.

Since you have much less time, you can combine, for example, half an hour of aerobic exercise outside the home with some activity that you can do at home.

5. Time for you

If you feel good, your baby will feel good. Dedicating time to yourself will not make you a worse parent, nor will it make you selfish..

You need to be well to be able to deal with the frustrations that may arise in this time of constant change. It is important to find a moment for yourself, to do something you enjoy, a reward.

6. Don't compare yourself

Don't try to be the bestBecause we are sorry to tell you that there are no instructions for the best parent. Focus on your child and not on what other parents are doing.

It's about being the best you can for your baby and accept that this doesn't mean being perfect, that it's a learning process that you can also enjoy.

7. Return to a state of calm when you are stressed.

The practice of Mindfulness or mindfulness is a great help to "autopilot" and be more aware of everything that is happening to you. and be more aware of everything that parenting generates in us.

With this practice, in addition to improving your well-being, you can be more attentive, better navigate your emotions, avoiding impulsive and uncontrolled reactions, and learn to become more flexible and be a parent who values compassion and emotional connection.

8. Psychological support

If you have not previously attended therapy, the arrival of a child into the world is a good time to address certain needs.

Going to the psychologist helps to see what burdens we have that we do not want to pass on to our children, what is in us that we want to remain, what we need to repair and what we want to let go of. Our child will benefit from the work we do, because we will not be conditioned by our past. we will not be conditioned by our pastIt will be a new experience, a relationship that is built from a different base.

Mindfulness workshop for parents at Cepsim Madrid

In the Psychological Center Cepsim we carry out a Mindfulness training workshop for parents that will help you in your parenthood. It will be held on March 2nd.

Since motherhood and fatherhood entail countless responsibilities, you have to adapt quickly to everyday life. Also, as the baby grows, the needs change; it is an evolutionary process of change that can exhaust us, and through this course you will learn tools to be able to deal with all that anxiety and enjoy your baby.. This course of the Cepsim Psychological Center is suitable for people who have recently become parents or are thinking about becoming parents.

Through the practice of Mindfulness you will learn to educate in a responsible way. As we said before, it is not about being the best, but about being aware of how to educate and from where we are doing it, whether from our experience, from the tiredness of the moment, or from the power to reflect and stop. All of this paying attention to what is happening to our child, why it is happening to him/her and how we can help him/her.

You can learn about our Mindfulness workshops on our website www.psicologiamadrid.es.

Psychological support for pregnant women and new parents

In addition, from the Cepsim Psychological Center we offer psychological support for pregnant women, as well as for new parents, to cope with the stress and problems that this stage of life can bring.