INDIANA— Having stress or anxiety as a child can be challenging. Children often hear, “You are too young to have stress,” or other statements dismissing their feelings. Recognizing that children can have negative emotions about things adults consider “small” or “trivial” can help children validate their feelings and begin to cope with them to regulate their emotions.
One healthy coping mechanism is mindfulness.
According to understood.org, practicing mindfulness can ease feelings of stress and anxiety. Mindfulness is the practice of staying in the moment, which helps children and adults identify how they are feeling right now and adjust to a more neutral thought or feeling.
When we think of something, we often think of how it played out in the past or how it can play out in the future. When we stay in the moment, it helps to focus on what can help now instead of what hurt us in the past or what could go wrong in the future.
A big part of mindfulness is focusing on your breathing. When your thoughts go elsewhere, focus on how your breathing feels to bring you back into the present, recognizing and acknowledging how you feel in the moment. When children learn this, they are better able to practice self-control and strengthen their resiliency. According to mindful.org, studies show that the benefits of mindfulness for children are:
- Increased focus
- Improved academic performance
- Decreased levels of stress
Working on these things can bolster confidence, improve emotional regulation, and improve a child’s overall mental health.
As adults, the more we practice and model mindfulness, the more we can help our children learn. It is essential to recognize the feelings in ourselves and our children. Acknowledging that having feelings is okay – even the ones that do not feel so good – is a way to have a healthy emotional balance. Being mentally and emotionally healthy can create positive changes in life, including our physical health, creating stronger families, and having more positive social skills. You can practice mindfulness in everyday life, even when you do not have time for 20-30 minutes of breathing and yoga.
Some examples are:
- Practicing gratitude
- Checking in with your body
- Utilizing your five senses
- Focusing on your breathing
- Practicing active listening
Practicing mindfulness and helping children practice mindfulness sets us up for success in different aspects of our lives. You will be amazed to recognize the changes that come with being in the “here and now” vs. thinking about the unknowns and the “should haves.”
Jordyn Bryant, MSW, LSW, is a Youth First Mental Health Professional at West Elementary School in Posey County. Youth First, Inc., is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides over 100 highly trained mental health professionals (primarily master’s level social workers), prevention programs, parent engagement coordinators, and bilingual support personnel to 126 schools across 14 Indiana counties. Over 52,000 youth and families yearly are served by Youth First’s school-based social work and community programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success. To learn more about Youth First, visit youthfirstinc.org or call 812-421-8336.
