When your kid is stressed, when the pressure builds, when there is lots of chaos and disruption in their lives, meditation and relaxation can really help. Unfortunately, teenagers typically HATE strategies that have them sit quietly and not think; especially when they need it most. But, some take to simple meditation. Others like various guided relaxation and meditation practices. It gives them something to focus on. In this article, Sarah Beach talks about some of the benefits of meditation that included improved performance when students meditate before an exam, improved concentration and, of course, reduced anxiety, stress and depression.
If you are worried about your kid stressing or if you know that your kid is really hard on themselves, encourage them to try meditation or relaxation.
Positive Mental Rehearsal
This 15 minute exercise will help you practice successfully addressing issues before you actually try tackling them. This technique is often used by athletes and other “performance” experts to envision the ideal outcome of their performance in great detail. It is also useful for imagining ways to respond if things don’t go perfectly (as they so rarely do).
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If this doesn’t work, there are some other techniques you can find on the other blogs in this series by searching for Stress Management
