Teens can be one of the most challenging groups of young people to motivate and teach. However, when it comes to bringing the practice of mindfulness to teens, there are some strategies and techniques that can help. Keep reading to learn what these are.
Model Mindfulness
You will never successfully convince teens about all the benefits offered by mindfulness if you don’t model it yourself. This doesn’t mean you have to be a constant paragon of contented bliss, but you do need to show your own ability to properly manage stress in a healthy way and how to respond to setbacks instead of reacting to them in a “knee-jerk” manner.
If you want teens to take mindfulness seriously, they have to see it at work. They will know immediately if you are “phoning it in” – so, abide by the adage – practice what you preach.
What’s the Benefit for Them?
There are some teens who may view mindfulness as something that’s completely unrelated to their connected and busy lives. However, there are several ways that both adolescents and adults can benefit from the practice of meditation and mindfulness. Some things you can share with your teens include that studies have proven students who take time to meditate prior to an exam score higher than those who don’t; meditation can help improve performance on any standardized tests; and that meditation can help improve concentration. An added benefit is that meditation can also help alleviate feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety, which are three issues many teens experience regularly.
Teach Teens About Their Mind
When teaching mindfulness to students, you have to provide them with the tools to fully grasp what it is and why it matters. Part of this involves hands-on learning, like with the tools and thoughtful toys from Starwalkkids.com. However, another part of this is teaching them about how their mind works.
For example, many teens may find they are sitting in class, but their mind drifts to thoughts of the weekends, their job, or anything else and after several minutes, they realize they have been anywhere but here, in the present.
It’s important to show and explain how much of the stress that teens feel is really in their heads (which is true for adults, as well). The stress and anxiety are caused by a worrying brain ruminating on all of the worst-case scenarios.
By teaching teens to practice the art of mindfulness, you will help them learn that the chatter in their minds is really just that – chatter. It isn’t reality – it is anxiety, worry, and baseless projection. By teaching mindfulness, you give teens the ability to recognize the often-downward spiral of their thoughts before things get out of hand. You also teach them how to label this as just “worrying.” With this ability, the teen can acknowledge their anxiety without being caught in it and without allowing it to ruin their mood and day.
Implement the Practice of Mindfulness Today for Your Teen
As you can see, there are several steps that both parents and teachers can take to help teach teens the art of mindfulness. While this may be challenging, once teens see the benefits that are offered, they will be able to calm their own mind, reduce stress and anxiety, and find that life doesn’t have to be so serious all the time. This is an invaluable skill for people of all ages, so adults should take the advice here and apply it to their own lives, as well, if they find they are often worried or stressed, or if it is challenging to quiet the chatter in their minds.