Being a mom is hard and involves extreme mind stamina in this modern era! You are kind of like a ninja or a shaolin monk. You have to function perfectly and be of cheerful disposition, on little sleep, with poor nutrition, to a herd of very unreasonable humans that you adore! It is constant and relentless. But we don’t get a special badge or uniform or as much respect as we probably deserve.

And as awesome as we are, we all lose it sometimes. Our nerves get frayed, stress levels go up, we snap, we yell and then we are all crying. In my observations I am seeing that there are some moms that lose it rarely and maintain a Zen-like balance to things. And then there are the moms who are on the verge of a visit from CPS.

Here are some of the tips that you can use to be a more balanced mom, both for you and your family.
Chill Out! When things feel stressed, take a deep breath and give yourself an interrupting “Om”. I wrote an article on my experience with this and you can do it for yourself. Unless it is an emergency, stop and ask yourself, is this really that important? Am I going to remember this a year from now? Is it worth losing my mind over? Interrupt the hysterical thoughts with an “Om” or an “Amen”. Relax. Surrender to the moment. Your stress and hysteria is probably making everything worse. If you want to read the article on the Interrupting OM, click here!

The sun will come out tomorrow if you don’t participate in every activity that is thrown at you. Ask yourself, “do I need to go to that birthday party for someone I don’t really know or like?” “Do I need to throw a massive Birthday party for each of my kids every year?” Is in really going to benefit my child and family if we participate in every sport and activity that is introduced to us, at the sacrifice of family time? The answer to these questions maybe yes, but it also may be no. So, take a step back and make sure that you are not overscheduling and stressing yourself and your kid out! Again, ask yourself, will my kid really appreciate this in 10 years? Make a conscious decision and don’t follow what everyone else is doing.

Please give yourself some love. This is touchy, but I will say it anyway! Nourish your body with healing foods and a healthy lifestyle. Please stop dieting! It breaks my heart to watch some skinny-ass mom losing her mind on her kids, with their poor, earnest little faces watching her in terror. They are not understanding why she is so angry all, the, time. Yep, she is rocking that bikini, but she is also very uncomfortable. She is hangry!
I have seen this same scenario with moms that are hung-over or strung-out, or unhealthily over-weight, etc. So, take stock in your own health and make sure that you are giving your body the nourishment it needs and that your addictions are not dominating you.
I love the teachings of Ayurveda to help balance your body. When your body is balanced, you are happier and your home will be happier. An introduction to this topic is an article called The Happy Balance.

Also, We tend to neglect the physicality of our bodies.

It’s is all vibes, so choose good vibrations to bring into your home. The news is very negative, and social media can pull our attention into some very stressful stories and images. These are all absorbed by your brain and radiate to others around you! Limit the influx of information into your mind and your home. Some news is good and important, but most of it is just stimulating and tantalizing. A lot of the music is also pretty negative and non-empowering. Be careful of what you fill your mind with and the little minds around you.
My sister and I are a band called Shanti Shanti, which means peace peace in Sanskrit, and we recently released our 8th album, “Something Beautiful”. I am so happy to hear the feed back from all the families loving our music. They all say it makes them feel happy. Our music is up-beat and inspiring, and then we incorporate the ancient language of Sanskrit into some of the songs. This adds a gentle spiritual element giving us a taste of greater wonder.

The challenges of being a parent caused my sister and I to create a package for stressed out moms and dads. It gives you resources that will strengthen you; body, mind and soul, and benefit your whole family. We have been using these to help ourselves and want to share them with others.

Keeping yourself calm and balanced will benefit your whole family and make you a ninja during the storms of life. You actually hold the power for your whole team. Best of luck and peace be with you!

By Andrea Santos

Andrea Santos is an Anthropologist, Sanskrit Scholar and musician with the group Shanti Shanti. She is a wife, mother of 2 and based in Reno, Nevada. Andrea, a lifetime yogi, specializes in music and audio experiences that in create a feeling of peace and joy. Click here to receive a free Sanskrit Lesson. You can also experience her amazing music and Sanskrit at www.ShantiShanti.com.