How To Deepen Your Bond With Your Baby Through Mindful Movement

Thrive • Sep 27, 2021

By Thrive Reno’s Director of Nursing, Liz Lass, RN, CEDRN, CPT

Mindful movement is ingrained into Thrive’s culture. As Thrive Reno’s Director of Nursing and a certified personal trainer, I work with our mindful movement specialists to intertwine evidence-based therapies with intentional movement to help heal mental and behavioral health struggles. So, it’s only natural that we encourage new parents of all genders to engage in mindful movement with their babies to promote the wellbeing of all. Doing so can help strengthen parent-baby bonds while also creating an enjoyable moment for calming reflection.

WHAT IS PARENT-BABY MINDFUL MOVEMENT?

Simply put, parent-baby mindful movement is any kind of intentional body movement that feels good to you and your baby. Mindful movement can be practiced on your own , with your baby (or babies), and with older children.

All parents can benefit from moving mindfully with their babies. Because the movements are tailored to different parenting styles as well as each babies’ temperament and developmental stage, parent-baby mindful movement can vary drastically between families. Activities may include walking, bike riding, dancing, and yoga — among many others.

WHEN TO BEGIN PRACTICING PARENT-BABY MINDFUL MOVEMENT

Parents can begin practicing mindful movement with their babies as soon as they feel ready. A person’s personality, preferred activity level, and experiences during the perinatal period are all factors that may affect the timing. Some parents may feel ready to move within a couple of days after a baby is born, while others may not feel ready until six weeks postpartum or longer. Either approach is acceptable and beneficial — as long as it’s based on mindful awareness of your body’s signals. Additionally, before beginning any intentional movement, parents should discuss their plans with their physician and obtain medical clearance.

BENEFITS OF PARENT-BABY MINDFUL MOVEMENT

Incorporating mindful movement into your relationship with your baby is a powerful form of self-care. Moving your body and your baby’s body in a way that you both enjoy can help relieve stress and anxiety, and sharing the experience with your baby can deepen your sense of connection to each other.

INCORPORATING PARENT-BABY MINDFUL MOVEMENT INTO YOUR LIFE

As stated, parent-baby mindful movement is any kind of intentional movement that you and your baby find pleasurable. Parents have access to many different kinds of equipment that make it simple to share intentional movement with their baby.

Some examples of parent-baby mindful movement equipment include:

Babywearing carriers, which allow you to wear your baby while walking, hiking, dancing, doing cardio, practicing yoga, and performing strength training. Your baby can even act as added resistance during strength training.
Strollers for walking and jogging
Bike attachments for sharing a bike riding experience with your little one(s)
Yoga props, such as a yoga or exercise mat, blankets, bolsters and pillows

MINDFUL MOVEMENT RESOURCES FOR PARENTS

Parents can take advantage of their community’s bike paths, parks, and hiking trails to get outside with their babies. Additionally, many yoga studios and gyms offer ‘baby and me’ movement classes. Guided parent-baby mindful movement sessions can also be found on YouTube and other online platforms.

PARENT-BABY MINDFUL MOVEMENT AT THRIVE

Thrive Reno’s “It Takes a Village” perinatal Day Program offers a parent-baby mindful movement group every week. The group is tailored to activities that the members enjoy, which may include stretching, yoga, qi gong, dancing, and strength training.

If you’re a new parent struggling to fully embrace new parenthood due to perinatal mental mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and others, we encourage you to look into our complimentary new parent support groups , perinatal mental health outpatient services , and “It Takes a Village” perinatal Day program . You can also reach out to us with any questions anytime.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Liz Lass, RN, CEDRN, CPT — Thrive Reno’s Director of Nursing

Liz Lass, RN, CEDRN, CPT, is Thrive Reno’s Director of Nursing and is truly passionate about working with the eating disorder community. Liz earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Nevada, Reno, and Bachelor’s in Science in Exercise and Sport Science from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. Liz is a CEDRN (Certified Eating Disorder Registered Nurse) and has 9 years of experience working with the eating disorder population. Liz is also a certified personal trainer and is passionate about integrating her background of exercise science into her practice through mindful movement and helping clients heal their relationship with exercise. Her dynamic role at Thrive Wellness includes performing nursing assessments, providing meal support, leading groups, consultations, and assisting prescribers at Thrive Wellness with coordination of care between agencies, pharmacies, and laboratories. In her free time, Liz enjoys all that the Reno-Tahoe area has to offer, including skiing, hiking, biking, camping, wake-surfing, paddle boarding, and listening to live music. She grew up in Sun Valley, ID, and lives with her husband, two sons, and blue heeler in Verdi, NV.

The post How To Deepen Your Bond With Your Baby Through Mindful Movement first appeared on Thrive Wellness.

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Clean House, Healthy Mind: Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health

By Sage Tippie • 23 Apr, 2024

Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health Spring is a time of new beginnings, change, and transitions, including in our homes. With the warmer weather kicking motivation into high gear, Spring can be a prime time to do a deep clean. Not only is a clean space aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but it can also help to improve your mental health. Learn about how tidying up your space can also tidy up your thoughts below along with tips for cleaning when you’re struggling with your mental health. 4 Reasons Why Cleaning is Beneficial to Mental health 1.Decreased Stress Not only does an uncluttered space provide a sense of calm, but the physical act of cleaning can release feel-good endorphins, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. As you cross tasks off your checklist, your body also releases Dopamine. Also known as the “happy hormone”, Dopamine provides a sense of accomplishment and pride that can promote motivation in other areas of our lives. 2. Improved Focus Studies have shown that an uncluttered space can also lead to an uncluttered mind. Your focus can be drawn away from important tasks by a chaotic, messy space. Research has also shown a connection between procrastination and clutter, as an unwillingness to tackle larger chores like cleaning can translate over into various areas of our lives. By keeping your space tidy, it can inspire you to stay on top of other major tasks like work and school assignments. 3. Regulated Emotions According to this 2015 study , cleaning can function as a practice in mindfulness, providing an increased sense of calm and inspiration. Slowing down while cleaning gives you room to relax and free your mind of burdens, stressors, and irritants that can affect your mental health. Cleaning can even be considered a practice of self-care as the action helps you to connect with yourself and the outcome allows you to better enjoy your own space. 4. Sense of Order and Control When experiencing mental health struggles, people may feel a lack of control over their lives and emotions. Cleaning even small areas of the home can provide an increased sense of order and control as you cross tasks off your to-do list. Through realizing your own power by simply completing minor tasks like cleaning, it can reaffirm your ability to do more. 10 Tips for Cleaning When Struggling with Mental Health Mental health struggles and disorders commonly create barriers to one’s ability to clean and properly practice personal hygiene. Although these behaviors are normal side effects of mental health disorders, we want to work to aid our clients in cleaning to the best of their ability even in difficult times. Below, Thrive Wellness occupational therapist Meadow Deason shares some helpful tips she gives to clients when they struggle with cleaning due to mental health conditions: 1.Ask For Help Having support to clean can make a huge difference. Do the cleaning with the person helping you and have them hold you accountable. 2. Don't Wait for Motivation Motivation might not come before action, but it can build as you begin to see the results of your efforts. 3. Start Small Start with one area or one task and go from there. For example, concentrate on your bedroom first and then move on to the living room and bathroom. 4. Do Something Daily Even if you do only one small cleaning task a day, doing that one task creates momentum and prevents small tasks from building up and becoming overwhelming. 5. Use Sensory Modulation Change your environment by playing music, adjusting the lighting, or using aromatherapy. This can help to put you in a new headspace for cleaning. 6. Start with "High Impact" Tasks Start with more intensive or all-over cleaning tasks such as picking up clutter or doing the dishes. The visual "noise" of some tasks makes a large impact on the entire space, building motivation to continue cleaning. 7. Make a To-Do List Write a detailed to-do list of tasks and cross them off as you go. Physically marking down what you’ve accomplished can promote increased motivation. 8. Reward Yourself Set up a reward system where you reward yourself with a favorite activity or item when you complete a task as an incentive to clean. 9. Use the Rocket Method Don't think about it, just choose a task, countdown from five or ten and then start. This can help you to avoid potential anxiety and dread that can prevent you from cleaning. 10. Gamify Tasks Make up a game for your tasks or time yourself to promote increased engagement in cleaning. Your ability to complete tasks can be affected by a multitude of different factors and conditions including OCD , anxiety, depression , ADHD , and more. If you are struggling with motivation due to your mental health, help is here at Thrive Wellness.

child getting bandaid from doctor while mother smiles

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