The teenage years can be challenging as responsibilities begin increasing. Regular use of technology and social media deters youths from connecting to the present, and the need to have a deeper understanding of life becomes more important as young people face more negative thoughts and big life decisions. We can help by introducing them to mindfulness activities for teens.
Mindfulness exercises for teenagers assist them in overcoming anxiety, reducing stress, and experiencing the present.
This article delves into details about mindfulness activities for teens and the simple practices to apply to help them manage their mental health.
What are Mindfulness Activities?
Mindfulness activities are exercises that assist someone in becoming more aware of their feelings and thoughts.
The appropriate mindfulness activities for teens prove helpful to push a teenager beyond their boundaries. They’ll be aware of their identity and feelings so that they can begin finding more happiness out of life.
This is among the best ways to get inner peace and steer clear of the daily hormonal turmoil afflicting teens.
Mindfulness exercises for teens can be carried out with friends or alone. You can advise teens to do the mindfulness games and activities below to help them connect to the present and be aware of themselves, the choices they make, and what they do.
14 Mindfulness Activities for Teens in 2022
Teens don’t like being told what to do, but they need some assistance to become mindful. If you aren’t a teenager looking for your own mindfulness activities for teens, print out this list.
If you’re a parent or teacher who would like to be part of the process, go through the exercises to offer opportunities or hand over the supplies.
1. Create a Journal
Whether it was to talk about your life experiences, hopes, and fears, you’ve probably written in a journal at some point in your life.
Now, you can express yourself in a journal easily, and the benefits of this activity have been proven scientifically.
Below are a few benefits:
- Managing anxiety;
- Assisting you to prioritize things in your life;
- Mitigating stress;
- Managing depression.
You can simply start by grabbing a journal—this can be something elaborate in decoration and structure that you purchase at the bookstore or just a blank document on your personal computer. Try to note down your current and past life experiences.
Feel free and express yourself without any fears. You’ll likely have some insight into your most profound thoughts as a technique to aid you in processing the occurrences in your surroundings.
2. Dragon Breathing
Dragon breathing is an enjoyable activity to get the teens to work on the skill of slow, deep breathing.
They can do this with or without supplies since some love to bring objects when performing an activity to create more fun and enable them to grasp things quickly.
Some people use creative tales to make the method more memorable. That said, Dragon breathing involves:
- First, the teen will breathe in to fill their chest and stomach with air;
- Then, they’ll breathe out long and slow, imagining a dragon breathing out fire in their minds;
- Hand the adolescent a tissue or handkerchief, and let them grip it at arm’s length as they exhale. It can be fun and relaxing (depending on the age of the teen) observing the ruffles their respiration makes in the tissue or handkerchief.
3. Sensory Note-Taking
You can carry out mindfulness even when not in motion.
Most yogis sit still perfectly during meditation. In this exercise, though, you must engage all the five senses, noting what you experience.
- Touch: Use a blindfold to close your eyes. Put objects with various textures in brown bags, then observe by feeling.
Can you feel the material under your fingerprints? Try this with objects other than fabrics; for instance, damp spaghetti noodles possess a fascinating feel.
- Taste: Get a tiny piece of chocolate and place it on your tongue. Don’t chew it; instead, allow it to melt. Do you feel more of a sweet sensation in some parts of your mouth? What’s your body’s reaction to the sugar?
- Sight: Choose a random object in a room and concentrate on it for 15 to 20 seconds. Keely observes the texture and color. Do you see any small, unique feature you’ve never seen before?
- Smell: Pick something with a high level of natural aroma, like a flower or orange, then deeply inhale. How does your mind feel when the molecules get to your brain?
What physical sensations arise, and do you experience an emotional reaction? Scents can activate feelings and the memories you link them to.
- Sound: Turn on a favorite tune or song into some soothing Solfeggio frequency melody. What emotions come up when you listen to it? Does your body react physically to the vibrations?
4. Set up Mantras
You can say a lot about desiring positive things in your life.
Discerning how mantras function can bring joy and confidence into your life. Do this by constantly reminding yourself that you can accomplish any task and achieve the goals you focus your mind on.
You can chant, read, or sing mantras. The key is that you say them aloud to get the gain of vibrations of the sounds. Saying the syllables can release something inside you that can make you more self-aware.
Saying the mantra repeatedly is specifically vital as it has some power. Don’t read the words without being aware. Open your mind, discern the power of each syllable as it can unfold your consciousness.
You can follow these steps when meditating using mantras:
- Step 1: Get a mantra of your liking;
- Step 2: Make your intentions known as to why the statement is meaningful to you;
- Step 3: Be comfortable. Pick somewhere to sit. Close your eyes and cross your legs;
- Step 4: Concentrate on your breathing to become aware of when you exhale and inhale;
- Step 5: Say your mantra aloud many times. Focus on your lips and feel how the words vibrate. Observe how the words resonate all over your body.
Mantras are a perfect technique to center yourself. Get new phrases that evoke something in you as you undergo various external and internal struggles.
5. Mindfulness Music
Music is an excellent gateway for teens into the mindfulness world.
To engage in this exercise, your teen needs privacy and their favorite music. They should go somewhere they won’t experience any disturbances, far from their siblings.
Headphones aren’t compulsory but are helpful when they select the music and listen to it. You just need the tunes to be what isn’t well known to your teen.
Your teen can think about the feelings that the music invokes within them when listening and relaxing.
This activity involves listening for different sounds and feeling how the pace of the music affects their breathing when the song is playing.
6. Participate in Online Communities
Currently, the internet can be a terrifying place, and misinformation and negative attitudes proliferate.
However, it’s the perfect time to cultivate a positive online community where people can share mutual love and support.
Before your teenager posts something, tell them to reflect for a while about how their words impact others.
Will they pass a message, inspire? They can think about the classic three questions before posting anything:
- Is it kind? Currently, emotions are running high globally. Provoking negative feelings can make matters worse, so try to uplift people instead.
- Is it true? Several misinformation’s exist, so do yourself and others a solid and don’t add any!
- Is it necessary? While you can feel accomplished by boasting about your supply of toiletries or any other things, what feelings will it invoke in others who are less fortunate?
7. Do Some Coloring
Coloring is among the simplest methods to become more mindful, and there are many adult coloring books available on the market.
Look for those that have swirls and mandalas. Various themes are available, so finding a book that suits your personality will not be difficult.
The steps are straightforward:
- Step 1: Take your coloring book and a bunch of coloring pencils. Ensure that you have a pencil sharpener also.
- Step 2: Begin from whichever page you wish to color first. Be keen when coloring and ensure that you color even the smallest of areas. Treasure the colors and pay attention to how the design comes together.
- Step 3: Try out some breathing exercises. As you use different colors, how do you feel?
- Step 4: Pay attention to what you are doping. Focus on the coloring instead of allowing your mind to drift away.
As you practice coloring day by day, you will notice that your mind will start focusing more on the present, and your concentration will improve.
Don’t let your mind begin reliving details of your day.
You can try making an effort of setting aside a few hours in the day dedicated solely to coloring so that you can find some tranquility in your day-to-day life.
8. Shaking
Another excellent way to blend mindfulness is by shaking. That said, you don’t require any music to carry out this activity. Doing this exercise can help you release harmful forms of trauma, dress, or hurt.
According to Adair Finucane, a trauma and health coach, you can sometimes just decide to be goofy with it and make some insane movements.
You can also decide to relax and focus on your breathing. Try out some breathing exercises. Take a deep breath, stretch out one of your arms and start shaking it a bit. Do this for about three more breaths.
While doing this exercise, you must be alert and curious.
If you are doing this exercise with your adolescent, ensure that they pay attention to how their bodies feel. Your adolescent must also acknowledge how this exercise impacts their physical and emotional health.
9. Perform A Body Scan
If pains and aches often accompany your anxiety, a body scan is an excellent mindfulness technique that you can use to ease the aches.
Likewise, if your adolescent can practice this technique, train them on the steps below:
- Get comfortable: Your teenager can get comfy by lying on the grass or sitting in a comfortable position. There is no wrong position as long as your adolescent can concentrate inwards.
- Breathe: Instruct them to begin by taking slow breaths while paying attention to the fall and rise of their belly and chest with every inhalation and exhalation.
- Start at the feet: Beginning at their feet, have your teenager draw their consciousness to the feelings there. Additionally, they envision a white, rehabilitating light encircling the body part.
- Move up the body: Have your adolescent picture the light slowly pulling the stress away as they go up the body. Also, let your teen stall in any area that feels taut and breathe into them to assist them in relaxing.
10. Drink Tea
Tea is among the most soothing beverages you can consume. Whether you press your own or use a teabag, ensure it’s hot and focus on the sensation tea brings.
As you focus on the sensations, ensure you focus on all the senses—taste, touch, sound, and smell.
Let the warmth of your cup warm your soul. Concentrate on the whole act on how drinking out of the cup feels. With every sip that you take, let all your worries melt away.
You may be interested in making this process fun by experimenting with different teas. Various teas can help you feel energized or relaxed, depending on what you want.
11. Create a List of Gratitude
At the end of every day, you can sit down with your notepad or your phone and list what you’re thankful for.
This is an efficient way to keep yourself grounded. It’s quite easy to focus on the negative and forget the good things that have happened to you throughout the day.
Try to be as specific as possible. You can call it a day once you have listed at least five things.
If there aren’t as many things to be grateful for, you can take this as a lesson. Maybe you are responsible for sabotaging your own happiness. If you find that it’s difficult for you to be happy and often fault others for your unhappiness, it’s an indication that you need to practice more mindfulness.
The key to being happy lies in your hands.
12. Attend a Yoga Class
Yoga can help you become more mindful of what is going on inside and around you and bring you closer to your friends. Yoga exercises focus on breathing and stretching your body.
Sign up for a class you like, either online or in a local studio, then roll out your yoga mat and begin following the instructor’s steps.
Ensure that you are attentive to your breathing during every pose. Over time, you will notice that pushing out your body will become easier.
However, doing yoga is not all about mindfulness. Other benefits of yoga include:
- Improved balance
- Soothes, pains, and aches
- Increased blood flow
The best part is that you do not have to attend a professional class—you can start one on your own! Before your class begins, you can share some optimistic quotes to get everyone going.
After that, you can begin breathing exercises. There are various books to provide inspiration as well as the internet.
13. Start Cooking
Cooking can be restorative, especially when done in a group. You can consider cooking four-course meals or baking.
Much of what you decide on doing is dependent on our capabilities. Go over your skill set before you start cooking.
- Step 1: Find a recipe that you are all comfortable with.
- Step 2: Split the tasks so that everyone has something to do.
- Step 3: Put together all the ingredients. Concentrate on the smells, textures, and flavors. As you saute, mix and cut, pay attention to how everything sounds.
- Step 4: After you are done making the food, sit down with your friends and analyze the food you’ve made.
Go over the flavors and see what everyone can identify. Treasure every detail of the food and value the fact that you’ve made it all from scratch instead of purchasing it.
Through cooking, you will learn to appreciate the effort that goes into making the food you eat. In addition, it allows you to live in the moment.
Once cooking with your friends becomes a regular activity, you can try out new cookbooks and recipes.
14. Light a Candle
Lighting a candle is among the best ways to free your mind and meditate.
While adolescents may profit from a guidebook to meditation, it can be as easy as giving them a candle for their room. Ask them to follow these steps:
- Step 1: Start by lighting your candle—it doesn’t have to be anything over the top. It can be any scent or color, just ensure that the candle can stay burning for a few minutes. In time, you will find that you have a preferred scent, such as eucalyptus or lavender.
- Step 2: Look at the candle as it burns for about five to ten minutes. You don’t need to set a time. Just watch the candle burn and relax.
- Step 3: Let your mind wander to go to whatever you are thinking about. Think about each thought and release it from your mind without being too hard on yourself.
Bottom Line
The earlier you introduce your adolescent to coping skills like mindfulness through mindfulness activities for teens, the better they will learn to develop inner peace from the get-go.
As teenagers grow older, they are exposed to more stress and negative thoughts. Therefore, they must be aware of their emotions, actions, and behaviors. Whether as a group or individually, adolescents require help to learn how to be aware of negative emotions so they can manage life in the present moment and into the future.
Aside from mindfulness activities for teens, you can also introduce teenagers to The 10 Minute Mindfulness Meditation Exercise or the The 20 Minute Mindfulness Meditation Exercise
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