On the Coast – Families Issue 100 I June/July 2019 | Page 8

Finding
our flow in
surrender
BY NIKKI SMITH
A
s parents we all have far too much
to do. Our modern lives are
focused around productivity, both
at work and in our home, most days I feel
a constant need both internally and
externally to have “something done” with
my day, to be ticking items off my long
to-do list. But what if what we really need,
every now and then, is just to do nothing?
To hibernate. To slow down. As the
cooler months start to close in around
us lets choose to disconnect from the
outside world a little more (and more
importantly the online world!) and let’s
opt for a deeper connection with our
loved ones. What would it feel like to
entrench ourselves in our emotional
and spiritual wellbeing rather than our
sole focus being on our physical fitness?
Perhaps we could begin with putting
down our phones and actually checking
in with each other.
There is a distinct sense of
mindfulness when we are truly in the
moment with our children, and our
families.
There will always be plenty of time
to move forward personally whether it
be within your career or personal life,
but how much time is there really for a
mindful connection with your children
while they’re still young and seeking
time spent with you?!
8
O N T H E C OA S T – FA MILIES
There will be many opportunities
as your children grow up for them to
explore and get outside of their comfort
zones. To fill up your days until your cups
our overflowing and to complete your
to-do lists with highlighted points and
exclamation points!
But equally, there is always a time and
a season for hibernation, to really choose
to slow down and set your intentions
towards soothing your family’s soul with
a genuine and mindful connection.
To others, it may appear that you’re
doing nothing. That you’re wasting your
precious time. Saying “no” to a catch up
and opting out of endless play dates and
activities. In fact, what you are doing
is saying “yes” to creating some much-
needed space.
As parents we are always putting
an imprint of love and connection into
our children’s hearts and minds when
we consciously choose to slow down,
unknowingly we are creating space to
talk, to laugh, to play and to just be.
We live in a fast-paced world
and life can seem more then a little
overwhelming at times!
By the time we are parents we are
already so used to being busy. We tend
to be goal driven, career minded and
all about ‘self’ as we start out on our
parenting journey, we have already lost
There is a distinct
sense of mindfulness
when we are truly
in the moment with
our children and
our families
the capacity to deeply relax, we rarely
say ‘no’.
When we are able to access that part
of ourselves that can ‘switch off,’ we are
also teaching our children too that it’s
ok to slow down too. That it’s ok to be
mindful of quiet time and reconnection.
That it’s ok to be bored and to not have to
be ‘doing’ things all the time!!
I feel so much that the greatest
opportunity of this time in our lives is
within our four walls of our own homes.
Not only are we in an era of busy being
commendable but we are also within a
new period of sharing our lives online,
albeit beautiful, it can also have us
feeling like we’re so significant, with
so much to prove and to be, or in fact
feel really insignificant due to the same
reasons.
We identify so much with what’s
on our insta bio or within the squares
we share that we can, if not careful,
haemorrhage in our attempt to keep up.