Episode 53: Mindfulness at Play with Psychologist Angela North

Running to the Core Podcast

Parenting affects every element of our lives, and in this podcast Psychologist and author Angela North, gives insights into how mindfulness can lighten the load of being a parent. Angela North and Dr Stephen McKenzie have written the book Mindfulness at Play: Parenting healthy, happy children with old wisdom and new science, recently published by Exisle Publishing.

With 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents and their families, Angela employs play therapy, and is passionate about sharing strategies with parents, so that they may respond therapeutically to their own children's needs.

In this podcast she shares some techniques for learning to use mindfulness that can be applied in moments of your day as a parent. These can be used from when your children are very young through to their teenage years.

Angela talks about "choosing your own adventure" which means that you can take one page, a line, one story or a whole chapter, and use the tips that spark your interest and that you have the capacity for, when you read the book.

When practicing mindfulness - we can get better at it. Tapping into the tools that you know, can help you to get out of your head and back into your body, which can help to reduce the effect of stress hormones. Using self compassion, you can learn to be less of the critic and more of a coach with the voice in your head, also teaching this to your children.

Empathetic reflections is one strategy that Angela talks about in the book and in this podcast and explains how this can contribute to safety elements for your child as they become older.

Mindfulness tools can bring us back to the moment where we don't have to do anything except be present. This can take the load off and help parenting to be far less stressful.

Infants and children are inherently mindful, as they go from studying their fingers to stones on the ground in great detail. We all have that capacity and are wired that way from birth. Often in the western world we grow them out of mindfulness as we introduce structure very early in our society. With mindful awareness we can help them to retain this inherent mindfulness.

Mindfulness at Play is informed by the latest research and is packed full of practical examples, case studies and activities. This is a comprehensive, one stop mindfulness resource for parents. The clear explanation of psychological principles will also help you, the parent, to achieve a happier, healthier, more mindful life.

Mindfulness at Play: Parenting healthy, happy children with old wisdom and new science, by Dr Stephen McKenzie and Angela North is available from www.exislepublishing.com" href="https://exislepublishing.com/product/mindfulness-at-play/" rel="noopener">Exisle Publishing www.exislepublishing.com

For more information visit www.thepregnancycentre.com.au