Mindfulness
Mindfulness has many benefits from helping calm anxiety and anger to allowing us to be more grateful for what we have.
Mindfulness can mean lots of different things to different people, but one definition by Jon Kabat-Zinn is “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally..
Mindfulness has many benefits from helping calm anxiety and anger to allowing us to be more grateful for what we have.
Mindfulness is used in schools and is ideal for when exam time looms.
We take a look at a few ways your child can incorporate it into their lives, to help them feel calmer and in control. Journaling Journaling can be a great way to spend a little time each morning or evening with your own thoughts.
Think back to your childhood and the diary you had hidden under your mattress, journaling is a great way to write how you are feeling, without being judged.
It allows you to process how you are feeling more easily as sometimes as you write, things just come out which you didn’t even realise, and this in turn can help you work things out or just gain a little perspective.
You can buy lots of different journals specifically for teens, which have positive quotes and prompts, or you could just use any blank notebook for your child to decorate and use as they choose. Gratitude Diary This is a lovely way for your child and you to end your day and is really quick.
Make a note of 3 things you are grateful for; these could be big or small and could be related to your day or just general things.
You can simply write them down in a notebook or like most things, there are plenty of apps you can download which will also remind you to do it each day. Meditation Meditation is a way to slow down and observe your thoughts.
We are so busy today rushing from one thing to the next that we don’t take much time to just observe our thoughts and feelings. By slowing down and listening to our bodies and our minds, we are in a better place to understand how we feel and the reasons for those feelings.
Meditation can also in time help us learn to remove ourselves from our emotions, so we can take a moment before reacting. Meditation is a great way to help calm us down and relax, taking some time just for ourselves can benefit everyone, whatever age.
There are lots of meditation apps that you can download or take a look on YouTube. Breathing Exercises We can all get a little stressed sometimes but learning a quick go-to relaxation technique can help calm us down quickly and effectively, allowing us to think before we react and help reduce anxieties.
Here is a quick exercise which takes just 3 minutes. Sit comfortably with a straight back and your hands on your knees and close your eyes if comfortable to do so. Feel the chair or floor beneath you and focus on all the parts of your body that touch the chair or floor. Take a few deep breaths and relax your shoulders, face, stomach, legs and arms Take your focus to your breath and notice what it feels like, feel the cool air entering through your nose and then notice where in your body this breath moves as it goes in through the nose, down your throat, into your chest and stomach, then back out again.
Don’t change your breathing, just notice it just as it is.
Do you notice warmer air as it leaves your nose? If you get distracted by a thought, acknowledge that thought and then focus back on the breath. After a few minutes, focus again on where your body touches the chair or floor, then slowly open your eyes.
Source: Headspace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfs5TJZ6N.
https://www.lpft.nhs.uk/young-people/north-east-lincolnshire/children/help-yourself-resource.
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/
Mindfulness has many benefits from helping calm anxiety and anger to allowing us to be more grateful for what we have.