Mindfulness in Children by Katherine Hyatt, LMHC, RYT

Life is stressful. For a moment, I invite you to close your eyes. Notice the things running through your mind.
How do you feel? Did your distress level rise?
Take a minute to notice how you turn down your distress. Do you know how?
As adults, we have an abundance of daily stressors- from the kids, work, finances, home, the government, safety, the list goes on and on. That is A LOT for adults to handle. 
Now pause and think about how a young brain might be feeling in today’s world. They have A LOT of pressure and stress that even most adults didn’t have to deal with as kids.
Our kids are struggling in today’s world and we need to find ways to help them. 

According to psychcentral.com, mindfulness has been around for generations, originally created by Buddha. The concept comes from the Buddist concept “sati” meaning “moment to moment awareness of present events”. Jon Kabat-Zinn brought mindfulness to the states creating Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in 1979 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. 

Mindfulness is a technique that helps bring awareness to the current moment. I invite you to give it a try. 
Close your eyes for a moment and notice the breath coming in and out of your body. 
What does it feel like? What is the temperature of the air coming in and out? What do you smell? Can you breathe in a little slower and exhale a little longer? Take 5 breaths in this way. 

What did you notice internally? Did your stress level increase or decrease? 
Our children learn how to soothe when they come into this world through the assistance of their caretakers and even how to self-soothe with pacifiers, stuffed animals, rocking, etc. As they get older, we typically remove those skills or safeties. As caregivers, we need to teach our kids healthy ways to self-soothe to help protect their future. Mindfulness is a practice that can be taught at all ages. It helps disconnect from the “stories” our brain is creating and be in the moment. It is a treatment modality that is often used at Branches of Growth.

I recently published a book “Mindful Maddie” that helps people of all ages learn about mindfulness and gain awareness into the current moment. It is available at both office locations and Amazon. Give mindfulness a try and let us know what you think!

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