In recent years, mindfulness has definitely become a popular buzzword. I believe it’s much more than just buzzword-it works! It’s been scientifically proven to help with stress, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse; this is only to name a few of the issues it can address. Although mindfulness derived from Eastern ideals, it has undoubtedly made its way into the Western world.
What is mindfulness? It’s simply paying attention to your present moment experience; being fully aware of where we are and what we are doing, and being open to our thoughts and feelings with kindness and non-judgement.
When I wrote Empowering our Future, I discovered afterward that cultivating mindfulness was the book's overarching theme. All of the strategies are tools to bring us back to present-moment awareness. When we’re consciously present, we are less likely to feel stress.
My intention was to write a book that would provide parents and professionals with support in helping our youth increase self-esteem and self-love and decrease stress and anxiety. I just wanted to make sure that children have the tools to deal with life’s challenges, which in turn helps build resilient youth. Mindfulness is a key component in doing just that.
We all want our children to be happy, but the reality is they feel sad and worried at times. They feel the same emotions as we do. Our job is to teach them and give them tools to manage these emotions. The best way to do that is to model the use of these tools.
After teaching mindfulness tools both in and out of the classroom for many years, I know how effective they can be to get us to the present moment. They really help children and youth self-regulate and lead a more peaceful life. Here are some ways that you and your children can practice mindfulness together!
1) Breathing – Practice doing deep belly breaths. When we breathe in deeply, our tummy should expand like a balloon. As we breathe out it should get smaller.
2) Open your 5 senses to what you’re doing right now – nature is a great way to experience this. Be aware of the sights, sounds, smells, and every step you take.
3) A mindful jar or bottle – fill a water bottle with water and colorful sparkles. Shake the bottle; the sparkles in the jar are just like our thoughts. If we stop and watch the sparkles settle, so do our thoughts.
4) Gratitude is an excellent mindful tool – when we think about things we are grateful for, worrisome thoughts and feelings lose their power and take us to the present moment.
5) Being creative in any way always brings us back to the present moment.
6) Singing or humming is my favorite activity that portals me back to the present.
It’s very important to remember that children learn more by observing how we act and what we say, than through our words. Therefore, the most important thing we can do is model the use of these tools. When you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, let them see you stop and do belly breaths. Let them hear you expressing gratitude on a daily basis. Express creativity together with activities like painting, writing, singing, and dancing! As always, practicing meditation is the greatest gift we can give our children for so many reasons-including being mindful.
My greatest wish is that all of you find the beauty that the present moment provides.
Until next time…all my love and support