Being a parent is a rewarding yet challenging journey that often comes with its fair share of stress. From the sleepless nights of caring for a newborn to the constant juggling act of balancing work and family life, parents face a myriad of stressors and many of us will be no strangers to feeling overwhelmed by motherhood.

Becoming Overwhelmed is something as parents we all have to manage and although you might think some have it mastered it can have a lot to do with the tools in their parenting toolbox.

While you may have said to yourself many times when you’re feeling overwhelmed by Motherhood, take a deep Breath and count to 10 – breathwork is actually an incredibly useful tool for helping to reset the stress response.

By taking just five minutes out of your day you can bring enormous change to your overall parenting experience for yourself and your children. Breathwork can boost your mood, soften any tension in your body, and allow for your mind to better cope with all that it is holding.

So when you are next feeling overwhelmed by motherhood, try one of these breath practices when you are feeling tense and let go of stress. Make it a familiar friend for a few weeks and see what happens.

Don’t panic if you can’t find five minutes alone, all of these practices can work when sitting at the kitchen table with a child next to you, or playing at your feet. That is one of the glorious things about breathwork, you need nothing but your own willingness to choose to change how you feel.

Feeling overwhelmed by motherhood? Getting started…

Both these breath practices suggest you sit tall and straight. That does not have to be on the floor, on a yoga mat, or anything like that. If not, simply sit in a chair, avoiding a slumped back. A tall straight spine allows for you to access the entirety of your breath capacity, and what we want to aim for is you becoming familiar with your ability to harness the power of your own diaphragm. The diaphragm is one of the major muscles that will tighten up in stress and overwhelm. By taking control of it, and choosing to consciously breathe, you signal to your mind and, from there, the rest of your body, that it can stand down.

The breaths also ask that the eyes are closed. You might find this difficult and that’s ok. If you need to practice with the eyes open to begin with, don’t worry about that. The safety to begin the practice with the eyes closed will come over time. I suggested practicing for three minutes but two is also great.

A breath to manage the mind when you’re feeling overwhelmed by motherhood

This breath releases the mind from negative thoughts and short, fast, thinking.

• Sitting comfortably, anywhere that works for you, your sofa, on the bus, on a mat, at the end of your bed.
• Eyes closed, spine straight, begin to inhale through pursed, tight lips. Not a whistle, but a steady stream of cold air straight down into the belly.
• Exhale through the nose, a warm, soft blanket of air that feels as though it wraps itself around you.
• As you settle into the breath, maybe three or four inhales in, begin to make the breath as silent as possible and notice, when the breath is silent all slows down. This is what you want, the slow silent breathing.
• Continue for three minutes.
• Then inhale and hold your breath for a moment, exhale and be still, silent and gentle for a few minutes afterwards, noticing how you feel.

A breath for dealing with your own mind when you’re feeling overwhelmed by motherhood

• Sit up tall and straight, making yourself comfortable with any cushions or other props that assist you staying upright.
• Use your right thumb to block your right nostril, and inhale deeply through your left nostril.
• Exhale fully out your mouth.
• Repeat for three minutes.
• At the end, take a deep breath and interlace your fingers, stretching your arms over your head, palms up, like a big yawn and holding your breath for 10-15 seconds, if you can.
• Exhale and be still. Notice how you feel.

Carolyn Cowan is a London-based psychotherapist and breathwork teacher. She works with pre and postnatal clients. Her new book Breathing for Pregnancy: How to find calm through the four trimesters is published by Vermillion and is priced £16.99.

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