It really doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you’re in school or working every day, meditation is a great way to reduce stress and refocus. Schools across the country are working to include meditation practices in place of traditional detention. With the beginning of the new school year comes new opportunities. Opportunities which allow you to help your child unwind after a long arduous school day. After school meditation is exactly what you need.
Maybe you’ve been lucky thus far and you haven’t had to deal with after school restraint collapse. This is the sudden change in behavior experienced by kids when they get home from school. After school restraint collapse can manifest a few different ways, primarily it can be attributed to hyperactive behaviors where your child seems excessively physically active and doesn’t want to list to you. Sometimes it can even result in temper tantrums and defiance. For some, though, after school restraint collapse manifests in your child retiring to their room for the rest of the afternoon and not wanting to talk to you until dinner.
Your child is in school all day, listening, following rules, being attentive. After school restraint collapse is literally the collapse of the restraint they’ve expended during the school day. It’s more common the younger your child is and truly the result of their good behavior at school. Restraining behaviors wear on kids over the course of the day and by the time they get home, some kids tend to let it all go. So, how do you manage this?
Meditation
Meditation is a great way to deal with a large number of things. Meditation is a great way to fight migraines. Approximately 13% of adults in the U.S. suffer from migraines, according to some studies. Meditation can help you and your child refocus after the school day together. And meditation can help you, the parent, focus on the time with your kids rather than their homework or behavior. This moment of peace will bring you closer together and you will notice drastic behavioral improvements over time.
To start meditating the first thing you want to do is set aside some time. For this purpose make that time when they get home from school. Don’t wait for after homework or after a snack. In fact, psychologists recommend giving your child a moment away from schoolwork when they get home to allow them to unwind. This is especially true if they are affected by after school restraint collapse.
Once you sit down to start meditating give it a set time length. Start small, like a minute or two. It may seem short, but your child’s tolerance will build up over time. Start by focusing on breathing. In and out, if it helps to count as you breathe you can try that, anything that focuses all attention on breathing. Think about how it feels when you breathe in, and the same when you breathe out. After your minute has passed stop and take a moment to talk about the day. Ask your kid, or kids, to talk about one special thing that happened. It can be anything they felt was special.
This small moment at the end of the school day will help improve your mood and your child’s mood for the better.