Mindfulness For Teens
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Are your teenagers feeling stressed and anxious? Mindfulness may be just what they need to face life head on with confidence.
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- Mindfulness For Teens
The idea behind being “mindful” or purposefully aware of individual thoughts and feelings is simple but for many, particularly young people, it doesn’t come naturally.
But exasperated parents take heed. Mindfulness can be taught and with ongoing practice, it may not only help manage emotional responses to situations but also give young people confidence in their ability to deal with life’s challenges.
According to an Australian study focusing on young people between the ages of 16-24 years old, if given guidance, mindfulness can result in a range of benefits such as stress relief and with ongoing practice, aid in better self reflection and understanding.
Some might say that mindfulness is, or should be, instinctive. Yet in contemporary society it’s easy to see how, particularly in vulnerable and inexperienced groups, people are distracted.
Mindfulness practices are ways of helping such people get back on track. Parents keen to encourage mindful behaviours in children can help the process by directing their thoughts towards things like:
But exasperated parents take heed. Mindfulness can be taught and with ongoing practice, it may not only help manage emotional responses to situations but also give young people confidence in their ability to deal with life’s challenges.
According to an Australian study focusing on young people between the ages of 16-24 years old, if given guidance, mindfulness can result in a range of benefits such as stress relief and with ongoing practice, aid in better self reflection and understanding.
Some might say that mindfulness is, or should be, instinctive. Yet in contemporary society it’s easy to see how, particularly in vulnerable and inexperienced groups, people are distracted.
Mindfulness practices are ways of helping such people get back on track. Parents keen to encourage mindful behaviours in children can help the process by directing their thoughts towards things like:
- Focusing on the present
- Not worrying about the past or what may happen in the future
- Concentrating on immediate surroundings
- Being less judgmental about others and things that happen
- Meditation – there are two main types: concentrative i.e. focusing on breath or sound to calm the mind, and secondly, mindful meditation or making oneself aware of feelings and sensations that are experienced moment to moment
- Savoring – making an effort to take the time to enjoy moments such as food, a night out, a smell or even a conversation
- Taking mental pictures – taking photos in your mind of beautiful or interesting things in every day life
- A new perspective – looking at the world differently by paying attention to things that may usually go unnoticed
- Yoga – it’s focus on breathing and being in the present moment is vital
Researchers found that the study participants, like many young people, experienced a range of emotional distress before partaking in mindfulness practices.
“I was really, really stressed. I was actually quite distressed about being, you know, being an adolescent, that’s what adolescents do. Freak out,” said one child.
But encouragingly all participants in the study were receptive to mindfulness practices initially using it as a stress management technique and then realising that even in situations out of their direct control they were in charge of their own emotional responses.
The adage of less is more is the foundation that mindfulness is built on and in a world of excess, helping kids to find ways to focus on what’s really important - rather than be engulfed in things that are not, surely is a key to long-term happiness and wellbeing?
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