Being a mother is tough. Our children can very quickly wear down our patience. Whenever we see our child being mischievous and doing something wrong, we get angry and scold our children and that’s considered normal. Every mother loses her patience and that’s the fact of life. There is no perfect mother. We all get angry and frustrated. So, what can we do to be more patient?
Through my journey as a mother of a 3-year-old girl, I have learnt that patience is so crucial. There are many times that I have lost my patience and temper at my little girl, and realized that it does not help the situation. She ends up crying and I end up getting angrier and more frustrated. Then one day, I asked myself what I can do to stop this from happening so often. I thought very hard and I realized that I needed to take time to refuel my mind so that I would be calmer and keep perspective of the situation.
How does one refuel their mind? What can we do to gain this inner peace so that we have the patience to handle any situation? It was while thinking about this that I discovered the importance of chanting. Chanting is rhythmical repetition of a prayer or a series of words and sounds. Chanting helps one to open their heart and focus their mind. Many scientists have done research on the mantra chanting and its benefits. They have found that when we recite mantras, certain parts of the brain are activated, thus eliminating negativity from our mind. A very simple mantra to start with is ‘OM’. Just one word. But putting that time aside to focus and chant helps the mind to release stress and allows the body to reach a comfortable zone. For myself, I felt that making a commitment to chant for 10- 15 minutes a day, I was able to feel more at peace with myself. I was happier and more content.
After doing this for some time, I realized that I was much more patient with my little girl. Instead of getting angry and shouting at her everytime she did something wrong, or she was whining, I was now able to talk to her about the matter calmly and teach her the right thing. That being said, I am still in the process and I still have days that I break down and lose my patience. But, it’s the journey that matters, the journey of finding inner peace and sharing that peace with others.
Today, my little girl, Siya, chants a Ganesh mantra with me for at least 2-3 minutes a day. It’s a good start for a 3-year-old child and I hope chanting helps her as much as it has helped me to build my patience as a mother.
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