 Mindfulness is being in the present moment without judgement. There are many benefits to practicing mindfulness including stress reduction, increases happiness, decreased depression, anxiety, and anger, and an increased love for others and ourselves. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of mindfulness, please see the article here.
The purpose of this post is to give you techniques that you can use for yourself or your child for depression, anxiety, anger, focus and memory, emotional regulation, or stressful situations. Try to practice the techniques that work the best for you everyday, even if you are feeling good (then it will become more automatic when you are feeling bad). Each Monday, I add a new mindfulness technique to this google doc. I will continue to add new techniques each week, so you can check back if you would like some more. You can access those techniques with this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RWCyuf4hirxxY4eclKONF_oHJDxioGbVG6ZAFUSDErk/edit?usp=sharing Here are a few more mindfulness techniques that you can try: Listen Carefully/Spend Time Together Without distractions like tv, social media, video games, or other electronics, be fully engaged as you listen to a family member or friend, and spend time with each other. Notice how you feel about each other when you do this. You can practice telling each other stories. If another thought comes in your head not about the story, let it pass by like a car, and go back to listening fully to what the other person is saying to you. Imagination Vacation Think of a place where you would love to be (it can be real or imaginary). Think of every detail of that place using the 5 senses, as if you were actually there. What things do you see while you are there? What colors do you see? What shapes do you see? What things do you smell while you are there? What are some things that you can touch? What are the sounds that you can hear? Is there anything that you can taste while you are there? How does it feel to be in that place? Take a Mindful Walk You can do this anywhere you are walking (outside, the mall, at work or school, even in your house). You can do this alone, as a family, or with friends. As you walk, Notice the different sounds that you hear as you walk. Try to notice the things that you wouldn't normally notice before. You can also do a mindful walk with sight-colors, shapes, patterns, letters, and numbers. You can also do this walk noticing how your feet move as you walk and what muscles in your body move as you walk. Breathing Exercise Close your eyes, and focus on your stomach as it goes in and out as you breathe. You don't need to change your breathing, but just notice it for a set amount of time. If another thought comes in your brain, let it pass by like a car, then go back to your breathing. (For some fun breathing techniques for kids, visit here.) Gratitude Journal or Mood Journal Thinking of the things you are grateful for is a great way to reduce unwanted emotions. You can write one or as many things as you would want. Talk about why you are grateful for what you wrote, and try not to repeat any answers. For a mood journal, you can write your feelings. Write them down, then let them be there without judgement. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Clench your muscles one at a time, until your whole body is tight. Slowly, relax each muscle at a time while you take some deep breaths. The Color Game Think of your favorite color. Look around you and find everything that is that color. Try to find things that you would never notice before. After you have found everything in the area that is that color, go onto the next color. You can play this game with yourself or with others. Minnie Mouse Voice Think of a cartoon character that you would never take seriously (like Minnie Mouse). Say your unhelpful thoughts or fears (ex: I am not going to pass this test or I am ugly) in that voice, or imagine that character saying it to you. You can also sing your thoughts to a familiar tune like "Happy Birthday." This technique helps us accept our thoughts as thoughts, instead of believing that every thought is true. The Present Moment Game Anything you can do to bring your brain or your child's brain back to the 5 senses will help. To help with this you can find 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. Try to find things that you wouldn't normally notice. You can play this game alone or with someone else. Strength Thoughts Spend some time focusing on your strengths, and the strengths of your family. You can ask questions like, What is something you have done that you are proud of?, What is something good you have done for someone else? What is something that you are good at? What is something that you like about the way you look? What do you like about your personality?, etc. Notice how it feels to think positively about yourself and others. Meditation Meditation is a great way to practice mindfulness. There are many guided meditation apps and websites available. Here are a few free apps to try:
There are many more techniques, and you can experiment and find the ones that you like the best. For more information, you can also visit the mindfulness section in this blog for more techniques and information, google, or talk to your school counselor. These techniques don't necessarily fix our problems and emotions, but they do help. The more we practice them, the better we will feel!
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