If you’ve read blog posts, guides, or social media posts about parenting sensitive teens, you’ve probably seen practicing mindfulness at the top of the list of recommendations for helping your teens manage their big emotions.
If you have noticed this trend, it’s for good reason. Mindfulness works!
When your teen is wrestling with feelings that seem larger than life, practicing mindfulness can make all of the difference.
What is mindfulness
While there are many different ways to practice mindfulness, at its core, mindfulness is a tool that involves intentionally focusing on the present moment. This can involve meditation and thinking about the thoughts or emotional feelings you are experiencing, the way you are breathing, or the sensations that you are feeling.
Why practice mindfulness is important
By staying in the present moment, you and your teen can calmly process any big feelings and emotions.
Here are a few ways that practicing mindfulness can help your teen handle their sensitive emotions:
More control and more choices. When teens take a moment to think things through and reflect on their feelings, they will have a better sense of understanding and control over these feelings. Instead of letting these feelings dictate their behavior, they will be able to acknowledge these feelings and either let them go or realize there are healthier choices they can make in order to express these feelings.
Improved mental health. Mindfulness helps reduce stress and allows teens to see that there is more to life than whatever emotion they are currently experiencing. This practice will lead to less anxiety and help your teen’s overall wellbeing.
Better decision-making. Teens will learn how to make decisions logically instead of letting their emotions guide their choices. It’s easy to decide to say or do something in the heat of the moment. Mindfulness gives teens a chance to calm down before acting.
Improved focus and attention span. As teens practice mindfulness, they will improve their ability to focus on a task for significant periods of time. This will allow them to be more productive and focused in several areas of their life including academics.
Increased compassion and empathy. Learning to be aware of their own emotions will help teens grow in compassion and empathy for both themselves and others. They will be able to recognize when they are experiencing big emotions or going through a hard time and be gentle with themselves. They will also be able to spot this in others, allowing them to empathize with their friends and family.
Practicing mindfulness for a short period each day is enough to gain undeniable benefits that will improve the way that teens handle their emotions, make decisions, and interact with others.
How to practice mindfulness
One of the best aspects of mindfulness is that it is quick, easy, and free. In less than 30 seconds, you and your teen can be well on your way toward reaping the benefits of practicing mindfulness.
Step One: Focus
Find an object, calming activity, or breathing exercise that you will focus on for the next few moments. This can be anything from coloring or cleaning your room to looking at a photograph, to keeping track of your breaths.
Once you have determined what you will focus on during your mindfulness practice, bring your attention to that object or activity.
Step Two: Gentle redirection
If you’re anything like most people on this planet, your mind will inevitably start to wander from your object or activity of focus. When this happens, don’t panic!
Notice when your focus shifts, acknowledge this shift and gently bring your attention back to your object or activity of focus.
Step Three: Make mindfulness a habit
Remember that practice makes perfect. The more you practice, the easier it will be for you to maintain focus.
Don’t be afraid to start small. Aim for a minute or two a day until you are able to build up to more time. There’s no judgment! Move at your own pace. If you start small and gradually increase, you will begin to notice a difference in no time.
With these tips in mind, you will be able to capitalize on the benefits of practicing mindfulness and help your teen to do the same.
If your teen has trouble managing their big emotions, or you notice that they tend to react strongly when they are experiencing negative emotions, helping them practice mindfulness can be exactly what you need to help them make a healthy change.
While this isn’t a magical cure for your teen’s problem behaviors or big emotions, it can make a significant difference for your teen.