When Arthur was about 6 months old, I signed up for a Mindfulness summit and I have been on an ongoing journey toward living a mindful motherhood ever since. What I learned about mindfulness really impacted my mind and helped me when I felt like I was breaking down, going crazy, becoming a horrible person. Living this way doesn’t come naturally to me and it is a daily practice but it’s one that I truly value.
So what happened with the dreaded, dreadful yucky kitchen?
A day that lasted a week I swear
I had a day a few weeks back that felt like a week had gone by even though it was only one gigantic long day with multiple full blown crying meltdowns for Arthur. By the time he went to bed I felt wiped out, exhausted and I was absolutely dreading cleaning up the dreadful, yucky mess in the kitchen. (I have a bit of confession to make. I’m not the most, ahem, meticulous of housekeepers.)
I got curious: how can I not feel so grumpy?
“What if I could not feel so grumpy cleaning the kitchen? What if I could feel better while I do this task?” I asked myself.
Applying mindfulness through attention and gratitude
I decided to try something new and apply my mindfulness practice to this dreaded task. Instead of staying stuck in “grumpy” mode, I decided to try to stay as present as possible to the job at hand and focus on gratitude for every dirty dish and equipment I touched.
I spent 45 minutes focusing on gratitude for the ease which each implement brings to my life. During that time, I didn’t think how mad I was at my husband for leaving dirty dishes in the sink. I didn’t focus on how miserable it was to be cleaning up a big mess when I would rather be eating chocolate and reading.
Instead, I thought about the people who crafted the dish or designed the toddler snack container. I offered gratitude for the fresh, hot running water that allowed me to wash my dishes. I thought about how glad I am to have a knife to butter my toast. Wouldn’t it be so much harder to spread delicious butter without one!? Guess what. I felt much, much calmer than I normally do when I finish cleaning the kitchen.
Even now, I keep thinking how good it felt to have hot water running over my hands washing the suds away.
Have you been able to shift from grumpiness to gratitude and calm? How have you made that transformation happen? I would love to hear your stories in the comments below.
Lesley specializes in coaching new moms. She believes deeply and passionately that every mother already has and already IS exactly what she needs to be to mother her baby with confidence and joy. With 16 years working in social work and a Masters in Counseling, Lesley can help you create a joyful motherhood journey. Her advice has appeared in Thrive Global, Mamapedia, Parent Co, and Fit Pregnancy.