Posted by Tara Heath on October 21, 2016 · 2 Comments
As parents, we often long for our young adult life — for the days of nonchalance and many firsts, and we often romanticize this time. What we must remember is that being a teenager is a trying time and today, in the age of constant connection, it is far more challenging being a young adult.
Teens are more stressed than ever — they are pressured by the media and constantly being judged on social media, not to mention the anxiety and the moods that come with hormones and a change in their looks. Beating such angst in a healthy way is ideal for every young adult and one effective way they can do so is through meditation.
This form of stress relief can teach teens how to deal with pressure and to ease those bouts of anxiety. It can help them manage their moods and teach them how to stay positive. Meditation can be done anywhere, it is free and it will help teens feel mentally strong. The following are a few tips to start meditation, so that your kids can learn to fall in love with this ritual.
Start small – It takes time to teach the mind how to stay still during meditation, so rather than starting off with a 30 minute sit down, begin this process with a five to ten minute ritual and then build on time as you go along.
Find a quiet place – Whether that’s in a garden or on a balcony; in your room or in the bathroom, choose a quiet place when you are meditating so that you can concentrate on your mind and breathing.
Switch off your phone – Phone notifications are constantly beeping on our phones so it’s best to put your phone on silent during meditation to avoid distractions. This can go beyond meditation time, where you make it a habit to switch off your phone or at least put it on silent some time during the day. This way, you will have spent less time checking and listening to what others are doing and instead, you will start listening to what you are thinking.
Download an app – There are a number of great meditation apps that can guide you through proper meditation like Smiling Mind, Headspace and more. Download one of these apps if you feel more comfortable being guided.
Learn the different types of meditations – If you’d rather not use an app, then learn the different types of meditations — whether that’s heart breath, mantra meditation, mindfulness meditation or more — so that you can choose the one that suits your needs best.
Listen to your body – Don’t try to control the thoughts in your mind or your breathing. Start the meditation ritual by listening to how your body is feeling and how you are breathing, rather than starting off with breathing deeply in and out. Meditation is about stopping, listening and acknowledging how your body and mind are doing.
Sit comfortably – Don’t feel pressured to sit on the floor with your legs crossed while meditating. A comfortable chair that supports your back can be just as effective. Leave your hands on your lap or where they feel most comfortable and close your eyes.
Try yoga – If you find that you love meditation, then you can try yoga which has many of the meditative qualities found in meditation. Practice at home with the guidance of online videos or join a class and bring meditation into your workouts.
At the end of the day, we cannot protect our teens from feeling pressured, stressed, sad or moody but through the art of meditation, we can teach them to channel their negative moods in a positive manner, so that no matter how overwhelming life gets, they will know how to deal with it in a healthy manner.
Thanks for sharing these tips sou much! I absolutely agree with you. I tried to switch off my phone for a day and it was actually really a great day for me. I got more time for people around me and it felt so peaceful. I’m trying to turn it into my habit. Yoga is also a good way to relieve stress too!
Congrats on turning your phone off for the day. That’s hard to do. Even harder to get teens to do that. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post!