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Exercises

You are older all your life. So you are never too old to grow and learn things in this.

To look at your child differently, who is also constantly developing. Whether you have young children or children who are older.

We have collected the exercises below for you to support you if it gets too much for you. You can do them when you feel stressed or when you are calm to avoid stress or tension.

Breathe

Breathing? You do that automatically every day, don't you? Indeed! But the way you breathe does a lot to your brain, emotions and sense of tension.

The right breathing exercises can be a very simple way to feel the peace return in less than a minute. You can do them on the toilet, while standing in line somewhere or just during a conversation.

Chest belly

Sit or lie down quietly.

Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach, below your navel. Inhale for 5 seconds: feel how your chest swells first, then your abdomen. Hold your breath for 3 seconds and exhale slowly for 5 seconds. Feel how your stomach drops first and then your chest sinks. Wait 3 seconds before inhaling again.

Repeat this breath five times, or until you feel yourself calm down.

Head feet

Stand in a relaxed position with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.Imagine breathing in through the top of your head. A fresh stream of breath goes down through the center of your head, through your throat to your chest, your stomach and then exhales through your feet, into the ground.

Repeat this breath seven times. This breathing form also works well against nerves before an exciting appointment or conversation.

Reaction change

Situations pass by at home, in which things go differently than you hoped or expected. That situations escalate, whether you make mistakes as a parent and feel angry, powerless or sad about it. At times like this, we may not pay attention to what we feel, judge ourselves harshly, and feel alone. Recognizable? You can use the following three exercises to accept a situation, to wonder again or to lower your stress level.

Acceptance

Just try to accept the next stressful situation. By telling yourself that as humans we just make mistakes. Try the following three steps, one after the other:

Be aware of the situation: yes, this is just very annoying
Be kind to yourself. Put your arms around yourself or rub your hands warm and place them on your face.
Know that all people and parents experience these moments. You are not alone in this. To err is human.

Wonder

Look at your child with the eyes of a beginner.

Like seeing it for the first time in your life. Choose a time for this when the child will not notice that you are looking at him or her.

What do you see?
What is it doing?
Is it concentrated or wandering? Does it sing or talk to itself?

Sometimes we are so caught up in ideas about our children that it is difficult to see behavior from a different perspective. While a child is continuously developing. And so does our relationship with it. By occasionally looking at your child with a renewed look, you can suddenly start seeing things that have always been there. The wonders of your child ;-). Also very nice to apply to partners and family members.

Stress reduction

In the next stressful situation with your child, try to switch back to your body. Before you respond.

What do you feel?
Is that tension in your shoulders, an accelerated heartbeat, cramped hands?
Breathe in and out slowly three times.
This can make the difference between an automatic, primary response and a more effective variant that may prevent a situation from escalating.
Try to consciously choose your response.
As soon as you break your automatic way of reacting to each other, you immediately create space for the child to react differently.

A parent-child relationship can also sometimes be so intertwined with habits that a different reaction suddenly surprises. And humor also works wonders in this.