Why should you meditate? Because people are annoying and kids are difficult

Exciting news – our 2023 30 Day Meditation Challenge starts on January 6th!

In honor of this fabulous new 30 Day Challenge, I’m sharing a video on why I meditate…

“if children are nearby, have them put on their earmuffs as there’s some age-appropriate language at the beginning of the video!”

Ok, fine, people aren’t really a*sholes. They’re just being human. And kids aren’t trying to be difficult. (well, sometimes they are). Mostly, they’re just being human.

But golly gee, it sure is fun to blame others and believe it’s all their fault. If only they would behave (how I want and expect them to), I could be happy. Riiiiiight?!

This morning, my daughter had a meltdown getting ready for school. And we were gonna be late. She couldn’t untangle the necklace she wanted to wear. There were some outfit issues. Apparently, she has no pants that fit (anyone still waiting on #blackfriday clothing shipments?!).

Things started to snowball.

Suddenly, life was basically unlivable.

As she went into full meltdown mode, crying and refusing to leave for school, the minutes ticked by, and I did the mental math on how much more late we were going to be…and then…I performed a parenting ninja move.

Quietly, I got down on my knees on the floor next to my daughter’s chair. I put my palm flat on her chest and said; “I’m here. I’m here with you, and I’ll sit here and breathe with you. Until you feel calm. Until you feel seen. Until you feel loved. I’m here with you.”

Almost immediately, with two or three hiccup breaths, she calmed down.

Wiping her tears away, she gathered her backpack and together, we walked out to my car (because we were now even more late and needed to drive). I didn’t snap at her. I didn’t make a passive aggressive comment about how we were going to be really late. I just drove her to school, told her to be kind and have fun, said; “I love you,” and drove back home.

For the record – this is like an olympic performance of parenting on my end. I do not always show up this way.

The reason I was able to show up like that for my daughter in the midst of her meltdown is because I had already meditated for twenty minutes earlier that morning. (usually I’m lucky if I meditate for ten minutes. And I yell at my kids and lose my marbles all. the. time).

But today, of all days, I happened to have invested in my own inner calm. My own inner peace. My own sense of groundedness and self-love.

And so, when my daughter lost her footing and lost her inner calm, I was able to be there for her.

I brought my highest self to that moment. And that made all the difference.

This is why I meditate.

Because people can be annoying. And kids can be difficult.

And I don’t want to let other people’s behavior dictate the outcome of my day.

Not only that, but I also want to show up for the people I love when they’re having a difficult moment. I want to be able to soothe them or support them in a way that’s useful.

Showing up as my best self as often as I can matters to me.

And guess what? I can be an a*shole too! And I can be difficult. Because I’m human.

Meditation helps me be less of an a*shole, and it helps me stay calm when people around me are having a hard time.

So, if you find yourself occasionally surrounded by people who are being a*sholes, or children who are difficult, you, too, may benefit from a daily meditation practice.

To make it super easy, we have a (Free) 30 Day Meditation Challenge that’s just 5 minutes a day – Starts Jan 6th!

Even just five minutes a day of peace and quiet will do wonders for your nervous system.

These practices will help you experience more self-love, have more patience for people around you (no matter how difficult you find their behavior), and show up as a happier, more calm version of you. 

Each day, there’s a new guided meditation to help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, increase your ability to feel love and savor the joy, and to let go of your inner critic and offer yourself some gentle compassion instead. 

And, if you have people in your life who also deal with children who can be difficult, or adults who can be downright annoying, share this link with them! This 30 Day Challenge is free for anyone to join:

http://www.vanessaloder.com/30-day

May you find peace, no matter how obnoxious or difficult these other human beings (never you!) are,

Vanessa

P.S.  In addition to daily, short (5 min) meditations, you’ll also be able to join me LIVE for a few guided meditations, visualizations and talks on the neuroscience and benefits of mindfulness. Plus, we’ll share some giggles about how hard and crazy it can be to live in a human body, and I’ll offer practical tools to make your life experience a bit more enjoyable.

Know someone who would benefit from this message? Share it with a friend and invite them to join you in this 30 day quest to greater inner peace, calm, joy, love and compassion. 

Join HERE: http://www.vanessaloder.com/30-day