Mindfulness Meditations for the Frantic Parent by Elisha Goldstein PhD

Author:Elisha Goldstein, PhD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books

Forgiveness and Self-Compassion

Getting in touch with our hearts is one of the most important parts of parenting. We all wish for our kids to be happy, to be healthy in body and mind, to be safe and protected, and to be free from fear that keeps them stuck. In some moments it’s easy to forget that. As hard as we try and as much as we care, we will make mistakes and even though our intentions are good, we may often doubt our actions. The fact is we are all imperfect parents in need of continual forgiveness.

This practice is meant to moisten your heart, inclining it toward greater self-compassion and wisdom.

Picture yourself committing some mistake you feel you’ve made as a parent. Remember where you were, what was happening, what the consequences were that followed. Now, observe what emotions you’re feeling. Is it shame, anger, resentment, or sadness? Also use your body as a barometer and notice how you feel physically. Are you feeling tense or heavy? Now bring awareness to your thoughts; are they hateful or spiteful thoughts?

You feel this burden living inside of you when you tightly hold onto past self-judgments. Now ask yourself: “Does carrying these burdens make me a more grounded and present parent? Have I carried this burden long enough? Am I willing to make peace with my imperfections, forgive myself, and release this?” If not, that is okay; perhaps the time will come when you’re ready.

If you are ready, practice “Breathing in, I acknowledge the pain, breathing out, forgiving and releasing this burden from my heart and mind.”

Continue this as long as it is supportive to you.

Cultivating forgiveness and self-compassion as a parent is an essential ingredient toward wise parenting. This behavior serves as your child’s role model whenever mistakes are made. It demonstrates to them that we can take responsibility for our mistakes and we can also release the burdens that will make us more present and effective in our daily lives.

A video of this exercise can also be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0UT7x8aX-A.

Forgiveness Practice

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