Enough Hands: Simple Self-care Exercise For Busy Moms & Dads

Feeling agitated, angry, and frustrated are normal human emotions. Healthy individuals feel difficult emotions when they occur. Their body and mind awareness then enables them to consciously choose how to respond to life's events instead of reacting and more importantly overreacting.

Meet Judy, a young woman who derives her sense of self by being a super powered mom. As she frantically gets dinner ready, the green kitchen walls seem to close in on her. Katie is whining and pulling Cassandra's hair while the newborn infant cries and wants to be held. Looking at her own hands, she wonders how many she needs to properly take care of everyone else. Easy answer. More hands than she's got.

One night her husband stayed late at work so they started eating without him. When he finally arrives, he brushes the smashed, errant cheerios off of his chair. Judy places a hot baked potato on his plate. He casually states, "No potato for me tonight." Her mind explodes. Her mouth follows. With no warning, she unleashes her pent up, charged frustrations. Yelling at him uncontrollably, her tears stain her worn out t-shirt. She feels defeated.

What happened? Simply put Judy's inability to release her emotions as she experiences them is the cause of her outburst. Any unprocessed feelings and thoughts get stored in our mind and body. The energy then builds up to the point that it has to come out. Just like a tea kettle. When the pressure inside the pot gets hot enough, the steamy air whistles indicating it's ready. Well, we can get too hot when anger, frustration, and disappointments are kept inside. Unfortunately we don't whistle. We blow up and hurt ourselves and the ones we love. Then we can feel guilt, shame, and blame which can keep a dysfunctional cycle going.

To break this pattern, we need easy self-care solutions. During a routine day, one can practice releasing, centering and energizing Meditative Movements to strengthen the body, calm the mind and free their being. Judy needs to start taking care of her own needs first. Understandably, it is difficult for a young mother of three to take time for herself on a regular basis. Still it is crucial for Judy's health and her family's well-being.

As Judy goes about her day, she can easily practice the?I Release Frustration Meditative Movement??to allow this type of energy to flow through her mind and body in a healthy way. The beauty is that the movement is three minutes long, adaptable to anyone's physical ability, and easy to learn. If she doesn't have alone time to practice, she can include her children in the movements. Yes, any age can perform them. It can be especially fun to see how kids respond to the affirming exercises. Another benefit is Judy is being an effective role model.

When I took care of my three small grandchildren for two days while their parents attended a wedding, I was reminded how much energy is needed to care for them. It is staggering to think of all the things parents do for their children every day. If you are caring for children, thank you for all you do. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I applaud you for all of the effort and love you give to the child. Know that you are appreciated for loving and caring for them.

Yet, you need to remember that you do have the perfect number of hands. Perhaps you need to raise yours and ask for help as you embrace your own self-care routines.