Try Mindfulness to Calm and Focus Your Kids and Yourself
Published on
Health Tip of the WeekPublished on
Health Tip of the Week Mindfulness is the act of paying attention to the present moment. It involves setting aside distractions, paying attention to our bodies, thoughts and feelings, and accepting our situation without judgment. It can be practiced formally, through meditation or guided exercises, or it can be used in informal ways, by choosing to be mindful as we eat, walk or engage with others.
We spoke with Miriam Stewart, MD, a hospitalist in the Division of General Pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and a trained mindfulness teacher, to learn how mindfulness can be helpful and how to get started.
“There is a large and growing body of scientific research showing the many benefits of mindfulness,” says Dr. Stewart. “On a physiological level, it triggers the relaxation response, reducing stress and anxiety, slowing the heartbeat, and reducing blood pressure. Cognitively, it increases our ability to focus and solve problems effectively. And it has emotional benefits in helping us let go of judgment and move past rumination — the repetitive thoughts that sometimes get in our way.”
Mindfulness can be helpful for people of all ages, Dr. Stewart explains. In fact, when mindfulness practices are learned in childhood, they not only bring immediate benefits, they can become habits that are easy to draw on throughout life.
In the early years, parents can use mindfulness to increase the quality of their interactions with their children in this important time of bonding. When you look into your baby’s eyes and mimic each other’s sounds, when you focus on and engage in play with your young child, setting aside all distractions, you are practicing mindfulness. You are also giving your child what they need at that moment — the pleasure and security of your attention.
As your child grows older, into preschool and the elementary-school years, your modeling of these mindfulness practices is still important and will be noticed as an example to follow. And you can begin to introduce simple, short-mindfulness exercises. Here are some examples:
As children approach and enter adolescence, they are able to engage in longer mindfulness sessions. By the time they are teenagers, they can practice the same sorts of mindfulness exercises that you do, as an adult. These may include:
As an informal mindfulness practice, it can be helpful to have “no distraction” times during the day and evening, when smartphones, computers and TV are off limits, and where teens and adults focus on a single activity or on conversation. You might make distraction-free dinner a goal, and use it as an opportunity for each member of the family to share a moment of joy they experienced that day.
Mindfulness can also be used as a check on emotional reactions to events in life. If your child — or you — feel such a reaction coming on, try the S.T.O.P. exercise.
Many excellent resources are available to help you and your children with the practice of mindfulness. The apps Stop, Breathe & Think and Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame offer exercises for children. Calm and Headspace have exercises designed for adults but suitable for preteens and teens.
Contributed by: Miriam Stewart, MD
Categories: Health Tip of the Week