Mindfulness is the practice of slowing down and paying attention to what is happening around you, at that exact moment. With a rich history in Buddhism, mindfulness was introduced to Western society as a therapeutic process by Kabat-Zinn in the 1980s. The practice delves into understanding what is happening both within and immediately surrounding an individual at a particular moment, such as thoughts, feelings, sensations, and external environment. When we engage in mindfulness, we experience these moments without judgement and accept them as they come.

Mindfulness involves integration of the senses, purposeful breathing, meditation and guided imagery to assist in grounding an individual into the present moment. Although the concept of ‘being present’ may seem simple, effectively engaging in mindfulness takes time and practice.

Studies have shown that practising mindfulness can improve interpersonal relationships and coping with relationship-related stress, while also helping to reduce anxiety, depression and dissatisfaction with parenting. For mothers, mindfulness has been found to positively impact self-compassion, belief in parenting abilities, attachment to children, and overall mental wellbeing. While resources for mindful parenting for fathers may seem limited and overlooked, it is important to look at this practice as a unit rather than focusing on a single parent. Dear Dahlia wants to help reduce this one sided approach to parenthood adjustment, and to assist you in understanding the work you do together will benefit the overall health and wellbeing for the entire family.

This all sounds great right? Something as simple as paying attention to what is happening is going to help lower our stress. However, as a parent you may already be listing the barriers stopping you; the idea is overwhelming or time consuming, the guilt of not doing it, sleep deprivation, mood changes, or difficulties in relationships. I get it, I do it on a daily basis!

While these barriers exist for us all, introducing informal mindfulness allows you to take the basic principles and apply them to your everyday activities without adding to your to-do list. As parents, our days are not only consumed with to-do lists we need to complete, but can also turn to negative thoughts and questions. When will I sleep? When will I get a break? I should have played or cuddled more, I should not have let them sleep so much. This endless flood of questions only results in added stress and overwhelm, and we often turn to autopilot to take us through the motions. Autopilot can be helpful when we’re on the 5th nappy change of the night, but falling into this habit can result in us missing enjoyable and pleasurable moments. When we miss the joyful times, it can lower our mood without us realising how we got to that point. This is where mindfulness enters.

Our aim is to assist you in learning mindfulness skills with both formal and informal sessions to assist you in bringing awareness and acceptance to your thoughts, sensations and emotions throughout your parenting journey.

You can find more information on the topic of mindfulness along with resources within the blog link on this website and via social media. This will be updated regularly and will include articles from those who practise within the field and have their own unique contribution to provide. Together, we will aim to provide you with education and opportunities to equip yourself with the knowledge and self-confidence to embrace the world of mindfulness in a way that works for you.

You’ve got this x