The Greatest Stress Buster: A Mother’s Love
6 Tips for a Special Day

Caroline, my little five-year-old daughter was crying. She had scraped her toe trying to ride her tricycle up the driveway.  I went to console her, but she ran past me- straight into the arms of her mother.  I felt a little hurt. Yet, when I looked at the way her mother held her, the avalanche of love that surrounded her, and the way her tears had subsided. I realized that I couldn’t compete.

A mother’s love is like no other.

May is the month of Mother’s Day.  During this time we can reflect on how wonderfully and beautifully our mothers have impacted our lives.  We can also look deeper.  We can also recognize and acknowledge that a mother’s love is one of the great stress busters.

What is it about a mothers love that it so special? What is it about her love that can be a balm for our wounds,  diminish our pain, and lift our hearts? Imagine if you could gather up a mother’s love and put it in a bottle.  Imagine the sales of this perfume?  Just a small whiff could change the world.

So what is it that makes a mother’s love so unique?  I believe it comes from her power to connect with her children’s hearts.  This is what makes a mothers love special. It’s her heart being opened, big and wide, and then reaching out to connect and surround the people she loves. When you experience that type of connection, your heart melts.

I also believe that the best treatment of stress is the love of a connected heart.

Once a man seeking true knowledge approached a wise man.  He asked, “who among the people is most worthy of my good companionship?”

The wise man thought, and answered, “your mother.”

The man seeking truth asked again, “Then who?”

The wise man, pondered and said, “then your mother.”  The seeker asked a third time,”then who?”  Once again the wise man said, “your mother.”   Only when he asked a fourth time did the sage say, “your father.”

If we use our minds to understand the wisdom of the discourse, we may be at a loss.  But if we use the heart, the heart of a child that has been consoled by the love of a mother, it is easy.  Our mother carried us for nine months within her womb. She woke up night after night to feed us when we were crying infants.  She was there for us as a child celebrating our triumphs and consoling our losses.  A mother’s love is like a bottom less pit for her children.  Her heart is the source of that endless love, and it is our connection to that heart that gives us the mercy we feel.

Mother’s day is soon going to be upon us.  Now is the time for us to honor our mothers.  It’s a time to give them the love and compassion that they deserve. It’s a time to celebrate your mother.  What I’d like to do is to share with you 6 Tips for making your mother’s life special.  Mother’s Day is only one day.  You don’t have to limit your giving to this time.  Practice it all the time.

#1 Tip:  Help Your Mother Take Time for Herself.

This is the single most important thing for women and mothers in particular to do.  They need to make time for themselves.  Mother’s are all about taking care of others.  They take care of everyone but themselves.  Isn’t this true?  Mothers (and women) are the givers in our society.  They might have a job, or two jobs.  Yet, they still take care of the kids, the running around, and the home.  Their days seem to never end.

This week help your mother find time, even just a couple hours, for herself.  Many ways exist to do this.  You can find a duty that your mother does and make it your duty for a few hours.  Run her errands.  Do her laundry.  Clean up her kitchen.  Find a way to let your special mom have a couple hours for herself.   It’s such a little thing in the overall scheme of life, but It is something that will be much appreciated by your mother.    After this special time is over encourage your mother to make time for herself.  I like to call it “investing in herself.”  The idea is that a mother needs to recharge her batteries, to refill her inner bank.  You can help with this.

Let you mother know that she needs to give time to herself to enable her to have the energy and vitality to provide for her children and family

#2 Tip:  Schedule a Whole Day at the Spa for Your Mother.

A recent survey asked women, what is the number one thing they would like to be pampered with on any day?  Their answer- “A day in the spa.”  A day in the spa is a way to have all of your needs taken care of completely.  It’s a time when you don’t have to think.  You don’t have to worry.  You can just sit back, or lay back and let the world go cruising by the window.

Rather than pampering, you can be pampered.   Almost all localities have day spas, these are places that specialize in taking care of woman.   Do your mother a favor, make arrangements for her whole world to be taken care of without worry, so that she can have a day at the spa.  Make it simple for her.  Take care of all the arrangements, particularly finding a way make sure she has the time to actually go.  Don’t let her make excuses of why she can’t find the time.  Help her to make the time.  This will be a great gift, one that she will remember for years to come.

#3 Tip:  Schedule a Massage.

If you can’t arrange a whole day at the spa, the next best thing is an hour of massage.  Nothing feels better that having soft music playing while someone kneads out the bumps  and lumps of stress that accumulate in our bodies.

A massage can be extremely relaxing and quite refreshing.  I’m someone who loves a good massage.  It’s very therapeutic for me.  Once I was dealing with some severe emotional conflict, and I went for a strong massage.  Just having the masseuse rub my arms caused an emotional release. I nearly broke into tears and felt great afterwards.  Giving yourself to someone to take care of you can be quite liberating.  It’s like a deep surrender to the moment of life.

Many kinds of massages exist: laying down full body, chair massages, foot massages, and you can even schedule a hand massage.  They all feel great.  A hot rock massage where small heated stones are placed on the back is particularly relaxing.

Don’t miss the opportunity to express your love for your mother by getting her a massage.  Your special mother needs this kind of relaxation.

#4:  Take Your Mother for a Walk in Nature

Spending time in nature can be tremendously relaxing for the soul.  Here’s another way to make your mother feel special.  Find a place that she loves and take her for an afternoon walk.

We live in Michigan.  For us one of the best places to go is a town called South Haven, Michigan.  It’s located on Lake Michigan, and has a beautiful sandy beach with miles of great views. It’s the perfect place to relax and let go of stress.

I’m sure you have a beautiful place in nature where you live that your mother finds special.   Many people love a walk in the woods. This can be another great way to help your mother feel relaxed.   Luckily it is Spring and the temperatures are rising. The birds have returned and are singing.

•    Plan a picnic lunch.
•    Make it a surprise and take care of all the arrangements.
•    Nothing makes a mother feel better than to have a day where you take care of all the details.

Spending a day between the arms of nature is one of the best ways to make our hearts feel peaceful and stress free.  What a wonderful way to make your mother feel happy!

#5:  Take Her to a Yoga Class.

If she’s never experienced yoga then she is in for a real treat.  Yoga is a perfect way to feel relaxed and stress free.    If your mother isn’t a regular yoga person then you’ll want to take her to a beginner’s course.  Of course, you need to be in the course as well. Be adventurous and put your whole heart into it.  If you and she work up a sweat this can be a fabulous stress buster.

Once again, make all the arraignments so her mind can be really free.   Yoga is an activity that works best when you can empty the mind of all distractions and truly relax.  It will fill the body with tremendous energy.

Give you mother the opportunity to have this great experience.

#6 Show Her How to Deepen Her Heart Connection- a Gift that Lasts Forever

Our mothers hide their problems from us.  Their love for us is so great

My wife, Hassna, tells the story of taking her mother on vacation to the beach.  They were resting by the water, being touched by the gentle breezes blowing off the rocky coast of Morocco.  Hassna had taken great pains to make her mother’s day special.  Yet, even though her mother should have been feeling totally relaxed and happy, (the beach was her most favorite place) she noticed that her mother seemed far away.

“What’s wrong mom? Where are you?”  she asked her.  Her mom said, “My heart is with my boy.”  I realized that she hadn’t seen him in three years.

A mother’s heart never rests.

One of the best mother’s day gifts you can give is the gift of peace.  It’s a gift that doesn’t just last a day but can last forever.  Teaching your mother how to connect more deeply to her own heart is such a gift.

After working as a cardiologist with thousands of patients whose hearts have been troubled by stress, I came across a magical way to help people empty their hearts and fill it with peace.  It’s a way to deepen their heart connection by filling their hearts with love and gratitude.

As part of my mother’s day gift to you, I wanted to share this special technique.  You can give your mother this gift for Free.  Just CLICK HERE and put in your name and email.  You’ll get a link to download a free audio file, Listen and Connect to Your Heart.  I am also giving away my book, Your Blueprint for Lasting Stress Relief.  In the book on pages 40-47,  I teach the technique of how to connect to her heart more deeply.  I’ve made this free because of my desire to help other people.  It’s a technique that really works.

I hope you’ve found this helpful.

Please give me a thumbs up on Facebook and tell me what your experience has been with these tips and share this post with others.

Whatever you do to make your mother feel special, remember the sage’s words:  “Your mother, your mother, and your mother.”

take care.

Dr. Kirk Laman
The WholeHearted Cardiologist and Stress Reduction Expert
Seek.  Knock.  Open Your Heart