Calm your mind through a crisis

One of the hardest things to do is learning how to stay calm during someone else's crisis. Especially if you are a parent. The first reaction can be filled with anger and maybe some unwanted discourse that is sent back to the crisis. I often hear parents tell me they wish their first reaction was more controlled and not delivered in the way that it came out. However, we are all human, right? This writer falls into that same category of other parents, at times, where my first reaction may not be as controlled as I would like. I am human too! However, if self does go too far, one can always make amends in a healthy way, while letting cooler heads prevail. For example, if you can see that you just exploded on an issue that is not your crisis, you still have the power to go back and talk to your child in a positive way. A calmer voice, a thought out discourse, and non-judgemental approach allows you to stay calm through the storm. The ultimate goal is not to explode through the crisis, but be able to stay in your moment, and still effectively work through the struggle with your kid. Some kids are waiting for you to explode so they can use that reaction as their own unhealthy validation for their behaviors. As parents we want to have our kids bring their crisis to us in a safe environment where we can help them find balance. The problem here is kids do not always come to the parents first with their problems before they manifest to a crisis. The parent will have to figure out the presenting behavior that their kid is showing, and sometimes the parents misinterpret that behavior. A calmer mind will help you navigate through your kid's problems and crisis. Yes, there still needs to be strict, rigid boundaries in order for your kid to understand when a rule is broken as well as ramifications for their behavior is needed. I encourage all my parents to keep an active journal and for our kids to keep a journal for their expression of thoughts. Get the negative energy out, and tell us about your positive energy. A calm mind can still be a angry mind, but you are in control of your thoughts and how you present them. Stay in your health, stay in the moment.