How to be a Mindful Mom: Finding more Joy in Christian Motherhood

Do you feel like a hamster on a treadwheel? Does motherhood sometimes feel like a list of endless tasks which you are running at speed to complete? Just keep swimming, right? In those small moments of headspace do you feel like motherhood should be more than this? Perhaps you long to be a more mindful mom. To slow down and cherish that which is right in front of you. Yes, you want to slow down and truly be present with your children just as they are before they change and grow again; you just don’t know how to get there. If this resonates with you and you feel that motherhood has become an exhausting balancing act then read on to find out how to be a mindful mom. 

Mindfulness & Spending More Time With The Lord

Mindfulness has become a secular expression; yet it doesn’t need to be this way. Indeed, the Christian charity Focus on the Family tell us that “Like anything, mindfulness can be misused. But it can be a healthy way to manage stress when it's rooted in the Bible and focused on connecting with God [1]”. What if we were to slow down enough to listen to God and His beautiful plans for us and our family? This is Christian mindfulness; and it is the Biblical way to be a mindful mom. We need to hear His whisper of Hope, Life and Freedom in the busy, chaos of life with small children. 

I know it can feel like there is no spare time available for additional activities in the day! Remember that when we slow down; we are choosing to prioritize those parts of our life which matter most to us. Spending time with God can happen throughout your day and in endlessly creative ways which can include our children too. This time focussed on His Voice will enable us to be a more mindful mom and so to actually get more of what matters most done. Yes, we will need to slow down and reduce those unnecessary activities which drain us of passion and bring us stress. Yet, in doing so, we will find that as a more mindful mom we can be emotionally present with our children and so disciple them with patience and a full heart. 

How to Be A More Mindful Christian Mom

Here are some ways that you can slow down and spend time with the Lord, and so be a more mindful mom, when you have small, wonderfully noisy and busy little people in your household. 

• Set the right expectations; perhaps you are unlikely to manage a long, quiet daily Bible study when you have small children. You won’t be a mindful mom if you make yourself stressed trying to manage a big chunk of silent time in the day! Instead, think about your family’s daily rhythm and how you could slow down and find little pockets of time within your day. Perhaps you often wake before your children and could start the day praying through a Bible verse. A little and often can be useful when you are a Christian mindful mom with small ones. Maybe you could listen to a worship song in the car on the way to the shops or the park. Could it help you to be a more mindful mom if you had Bible verses displayed around your home? 

• Is there a playgroup or messy church near you where you could meet with other Christian parents of small children? If you want to slow down and be a more mindful mom then you will do this best with a community of support. Even though there may only be snatched conversations between toys, snacks and craft at a children’s group; being together in fellowship with others can bring freedom to your day and focus your mind on God’s beautiful desires for you and yours. 

• Journalling can be a wonderful tool to help all of us on our faith journey; including those of us aiming to be a more mindful mom. Again, little and often is fine. The simple act of putting your thoughts, fears and prayers down on paper could help you to slow the endless list of tasks racing through your mind. Indeed, as mothers we can feel the pressure of balancing the needs of our whole family as well as holding everything practically together. Journalling can allow us to release the pressure and expectations we are putting on ourselves to ‘do it all’. Journalling can clear our minds and focus our thoughts so that we can hear from God more clearly. In this way, it is a wonderful tool in allows us to slow down and become a more mindful mom. 

• You can have Bible time through songs and play with your children. There are wonderful Christian books available out there for you to share with your little ones. Indeed, snuggling up with a book together is another great way to slow down. Any activity when focusses us on enjoying the present will encourage us in our journey to becoming a more mindful mom. In this way, we can interact with our children whilst being fully emotionally present. This enables us to parent from a place of love and patience; keeping stress and overwhelm to a minimum. 

Embrace Slow Living and Be a More Mindful Mom

Motherhood can be hard; really hard. We need each other; community matters. We need to be honest with each other and ask for help when we need it; of each other and in prayer. In order to become a more mindful mom, we also need to slow down and prioritize those things which matter most to us. Indeed, when we slow down (and cut out unnecessary activities, hurry and stress) we focus our vision on the people and activities which bring us joy, love and life. Being a mindful mom means that we can be emotionally present and available with our families; it also fills up our own cup. Yes, becoming a more mindful mom means fully engaging in the beauty of life which is right before our eyes. Check out my upcoming blogs for more practical ideas on being a mindful mom and having a peaceful, productive daily routine. 

As the words of John 14 v 27 tell us; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” When we journey towards being a more faith-filled mindful mom; we will know more of the God’s life-giving peace. He doesn’t want you to feel overwhelmed and anxious with the burdens of life. He wants you to know joy, fulfilment and togetherness within your family life and your marriage. 

May you find deeper and deeper joy in Christian motherhood with each passing week; may you find peace on your journey to being a more mindful mom. 

References

[1] Focus on the Family, accessed via: https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/mindfulness-a-christian-approach/