Teen anxiety and depression levels are rising constantly. Faced with ever-increasing schoolwork, worrying about college, social pressures, as well as their own hormones and chemistry working against them, it’s no wonder that their minds are working around the clock.
As parents, not only are we trying to raise our children to be functional, stable adults, but they’ll always be our little boys and girls. No matter how much they grow up, we’ll never get over the need to nurture and comfort their every woe. Unfortunately, however, coping with stress is something they need to learn to do on their own
So if we can’t take away their problems for them, what can we do to help empower them with tools for the future?
The practice of mindful meditation is rapidly gaining ground in the public eye. For years the idea of meditation brought with it images of a person sitting, thinking about nothing, and doing nothing. Let’s face it, any parent of a teen knows the thought of trying to get them to sit still for even five minutes is laughable!
Be that as it may, mindfulness isn’t about sitting and thinking about nothing. The act is to sit and instead of stressing about past mistakes or future worries, to just focus on the present. In doing so, we’re able to view negative thoughts as an observer, analyzing them without judgement without being swept up in them.
In this way, our teens can start to see the association of their stress and self-condemning thoughts. Instead of blaming themselves for mistakes, they’ll learn to see problems for what they are and their logical causes, instead of internalizing everything. These thoughts and words that have worked to bring them down every day lose their strength and become less influential which can be the biggest reliever of all.
Mindful meditation can take some practice, but it brings with it many potential benefits and no negative side-effects.
Getting our teens to stop, even just for fifteen minutes, can be a trial. Still, at the promise of a calmer mind, many of our kids would be willing to try almost anything. Breach the subject when appropriate and ask their opinion.
If they agree to give it a try, try to encourage them to consider their “try” as a week of meditating fifteen minutes a day. The act of clearing the mind and relaxing is a skill that is learned and practiced, and it’s not uncommon for many teens and their busy minds to have difficulty with it at first. Once mastered, however, the ability to calm their thoughts at a moment’s notice is one they can take into adulthood.
Tyler enjoys going to the mountains near his home in Draper, Utah to connect with his wife and children through camping, hiking, and quality time together. When he isn’t rebooting in the outdoors, he shares his fatherly experiences with the world through writing and creative designs. Tyler shares the ups and downs of family life and the solutions he’s found through lengthy research and involvement in the industry and his own experiences to help parents everywhere. Follow Tyler on: Twitter | Linkedin