Life can be challenging, especially when raising a child with ADHD. Finding ways to help them stay calm and focused feels like an ongoing struggle. This is the story of how a simple daily practice brought peace to our home.
By incorporating the Reiki Principles into our routine, my son and I found new ways to handle our emotions and connect more deeply. Read on to learn how these principles have made a difference in our lives and how they can help you too.
My son’s symptoms had become disruptive.
At the time of this writing, my son is eight years old. He has ADHD and is easily overstimulated. This causes him to have to struggle to keep his cool sometimes, especially in loud or crowded environments. He has been known to become aggressive when things get to be too much for him.
Until recently, school had become very unpleasant for both him and his teachers. He just couldn't control his temper. In addition to behavioral therapy, we have added medication for his ADHD and the daily use of the Reiki Principles to his routine. There was an immediate improvement. I asked him how he felt the new medication was working and he told me he thought it might be helping a little, but what was really helping him, was saying the "Just for todays.”
My son says stating that just for today, he will not get angry, each morning before school has helped him to feel calmer throughout the day. He is also sleeping better at night. Could he be mistaking the effects of therapy and his medication for results from saying the Reiki Principles? It's possible. He doesn't take the medication on any days he doesn't have school though, and he's doing better then, also. When he does start to anger, he says thinking of the principles, and remembering that he should try to be kind, help him to calm down faster.
It’s okay to feel angry.
We all have days when we are cranky, or everything seems to be going wrong, or people just seem to be trying to challenge us to lose our temper. Things will happen that we have a right and a reason to feel angry about. Anger lets us know something is wrong and needs to be fixed. It has an important function, but once we hear the message that something is wrong, there is no reason to hold on to the anger. We can be grateful for the message and release the emotion and focus on fixing the situation that caused it.
Saying the principles each morning and night has ingrained them in my mind in such a way that they automatically come to me when needed. When I start to feel angry the words, “just for today, I will not anger,” come to my mind and offer an interruption that allows me to think more rationally. It gives me a moment to reflect on why I am getting angry and gives me an opportunity to react with conscious compassion and kindness in an effort to really fix the problem.
Peace and Gratitude
I’m not saying that my son and I never lose our tempers now that we say the principles. It does still happen. We are human, after all, but it doesn’t happen as often and it’s easier to refocus and make things right when it does. For us, the Reiki Principles have been life changing and we will continue to use them daily. They have brought me and my little boy a new sense of peace and I couldn't be more grateful.
