Real Simple the Power of Positivity by Real Simple

Author:Real Simple [The Editors of Real Simple]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TI Inc. Books
Published: 2021-03-26T20:30:00+00:00

Zen Teens

Help them stay centered with these mindfulness ideas for tweens and teens.

BY LISA MILBRAND

Everyone’s been feeling stressed lately—and teens are no exception. “Teens are feeling a lot of feelings right now—sadness, anger, relief, boredom, frustration, ease, irritation—the list goes on,” says Sarah Rudell Beach, chief mindfulness officer of Left Brain Buddha and a Mindful Schools certified instructor. “With mindfulness, we can recognize, ‘I’m feeling angry.’ And then we can pause and consider what support we might need in that moment.” Here’s how to get your teen started with stress-relieving practices.

Teach them the why

“Mindfulness improves creativity and problem solving, and it can help with test-taking by improving memory recall,” says Jane Pernotto Ehrman, a guided imagery and wellness expert in Beachwood, Ohio. “Elite and professional athletes and other performers routinely meditate to relieve the stress, improve their skills, and to achieve excellent performance.”

Meditate together

“It sounds much better to say something like, ‘Spending all this time at home working on my computer has me feeling pretty frazzled. Let’s try doing this guided meditation on this app together and see if it helps,’ as opposed to, ‘You seem stressed—maybe you should meditate?’ ” Beach says.

Let them daydream

For teens, mindfulness can help them tap back into their creative sides.

“Kids have great imaginations, but teens get to a point where they start to believe they can’t pretend,” Ehrman says. “The message they get is, ‘Get real and stop that fantasy stuff.’ All of us use our imaginations, but we’re more likely to catastrophize than focus on the good. Our brain was wired for negativity—so we need practice on focusing on good stuff.”

Keep meditations simple

Even a minute or two of deep breathing can help. “Choose a quiet place without interruptions,” Ehrman says. “Use your phone as a timer and set aside two or three minutes. You don’t have to cross your legs or say ohm—just sit or lie down. Soothing music can be calming in the background. Just gaze across the room and take a couple of slow deep breaths. Pay attention to your breathing.”

Make your own mantra

If just focusing on breathing feels strange, come up with a phrase to repeat over and over. Your teen might try “I am peaceful and calm” or something else that’s meaningful to them, Ehrman says.

Find focus in ordinary moments

“Mindful coloring with mandalas or intricate patterns can be soothing when done with full attention,” Beach says. “If your teen is going for walks, they could try mindful walking—leave the earbuds at home and just walk outside and notice the smells and sounds and sensations of the outdoors.”

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