If you’re looking for behavioral or mental health treatment for your teen, you may have come across mindfulness training. However, you may not fully understand what it is and how it can benefit your teen. Fortunately, you can learn more and get involved in helping your teen through a holistic approach to doing mindfulness activities. Doing so is one of the best ways that you can be supportive.

About Mindfulness and Its Benefits

As a type of meditation, mindfulness is a practice in which you focus on your current feelings and senses. Rather than judge or interpret these elements, you only need to be aware of them. You can practice mindfulness in many ways, including using guided imagery, special breathing, and other exercises.

When you spend too much time daydreaming, having negative thoughts or solving problems, it drains your mental energy. As a result, you can develop anxiety, depression, and stress. Practicing mindfulness activities redirects your attention to relieve these issues.

Also, it’s a useful method to reduce pain, lower blood pressure and improve sleep. According to some research, mindfulness meditation can even improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia and asthma too. Better diabetes control is another benefit of practicing mindfulness.

Types of Mindfulness Activities

Among the numerous mindfulness exercises, you may have only heard of breathing and sitting meditation. Mindful breathing involves taking a deep breath and closing your eyes. Then, you focus on breathing and how each breath moves through your body. Even spending just one minute doing this can clear your mind of negative thoughts.

Mindful meditation involves sitting in a comfortable position with your back straight. Your feet should be flat on the floor, and your hands should rest in your lap. Again, focus on your breath and how it moves through your body. If thoughts or physical sensations interrupt this concentration, redirect your focus.

These are the most popular mindfulness activities. However, there are many other ways that you can practice mindfulness. In fact, there are simpler mindfulness activities for teenagers to add to their daily routines.

One of these is yawning and stretching for 10 seconds at the top of each hour. It’s easy to get stiff and stuck in thought when you sit for long periods of time. By yawning, even if it’s fake, you interrupt those thoughts and become more present. Then, slowly stretch to become aware of any tightness, and let it melt away with your mind.

Paying attention and living in the moment are other mindfulness activities for teenagers. Stopping to experience your surroundings with all of your senses allows you to enjoy your environment. Also, paying attention to everything that you do allows you to find simple pleasures in life.

Let Us Show Your Teen How to Practice Mindfulness

When you enroll your teen into Foothills at Red Oak Recovery, he or she will receive mindfulness training. However, we offer so much more with our holistic approach to treating behavioral and mental health disorders. Some of our other recreational services include:

• Art therapy
• Recreational therapy
• Equine therapy
• Psychotherapy

Don’t let your teen struggle throughout life. Allow us to show your teen how mindfulness activities are beneficial in all situations. Call 866.300.5275 to learn more about our holistic services.