What is mindfulness, and how can it help my child?

Chances are good that you’ve heard a term lately, being used with much more frequency than ever before: mindfulness.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought a new awareness and emphasis on mental health, leading many people to search for practical ways to care for themselves and the mental health of their loved ones.  Mindfulness is one of the simplest ways to care for your mind, emotions, and spiritual health.  You can practice mindfulness just about anywhere, any time.

But what is mindfulness?

Mindful.org--a great place to begin learning about the topic--provides this simple definition of mindfulness:  “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”

Practicing mindfulness is simple--in its most basic form, no tools, books, or supports are needed--just a little time, a quiet place, and the intention to care for yourself.

Mindfulness is

the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Who is mindfulness for?

Everyone! We can all benefit from creating peaceful rhythms in our days, and the practice of mindfulness requires little in the way of physical--and yes, even mental--capacity or preparation. Mindfulness can be especially helpful for children and adults with sensory processing disorder, anxiety, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, ADHD, and other conditions.

Why should you practice mindfulness?  It can help you...

• Reduce stress

• Enhance performance

• Gain insight and awareness through observing your own mind and body

• Increase your attention to others’ well-being

We’ll get into what the practice of mindfulness can look like in a moment, but first, it may be helpful to clarify what mindfulness is not:

• Mindfulness is not judging the thoughts that pass through your mind or trying to fix them--rather, it’s an opportunity to be curious about the inner workings of your own mind.

• Mindfulness is not meant to change who you are; instead, it is cultivating the best of who you are.

• Mindfulness is not detaching from your body; rather it’s a kind of paying attention that starts with being aware of what’s going on in your body.

Why should I teach my child to practice mindfulness?

Mindful.org shares this perspective: “When we teach mindfulness to kids, we give them the tools they need to build confidence, cope with stress, and relate to uncomfortable or challenging moments. The earlier we do so in their young lives, the greater the opportunity to help them cultivate resilience and develop and refine their mindfulness practice as they mature.”

In addition, mindfulness helps develop executive functions like paying attention, remembering, shifting back and forth between tasks, and behaving appropriately with others.  Mindfulness increases a child’s awareness of how emotions manifest in his/her body and gives him/her tools for regulating impulses.

Studies show that when children practice mindfulness, it can increase their self-control, compassion, academic performance, conflict resolution skills, and decrease stress, anxiety, and inappropriate behavior. Kids who practice mindfulness from an early age grow to become peaceful, kind, and accepting people.

When we teach mindfulness to kids

we give them the tools they need to build confidence, cope with stress, and relate to uncomfortable or challenging moments.

And here’s a bonus:  When you choose to model mindfulness for your children, you are not just teaching them an important skill. You are also prioritizing and making time to grow your own peace of mind.  This means filling your own tank while showing your child that healthy adults care for their own well-being--quite the opposite of our modern culture, which glorifies being busy and stressed out.

So what does mindfulness look like?

In other words, how can my family and I practice mindfulness? Mindfulness can take on a variety of forms, such as:

• Meditating while seated, walking, standing, or moving

• Inserting pauses throughout the day--breaks from the work and school routine--to create a daily rhythm of mindfulness

• Taking time to notice some of the things you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell in the moment

• Merging meditation with activities like yoga and sports

• Taking time to name things you are grateful for

• Sending mental “well wishes” to the important people in your life. For example, “I wish Grandma a fun time at her book club today.”

• Reading books together that guide or promote mindfulness, like Forest Bathing Retreat, Let’s Make Yoga Magic, or one of our favorites, Breathe, Mama, Breathe

• Following mindfulness meditation video guides like this one together

• Trying out one of these fun, easy and creative mindfulness exercises: from creating your inner weather report, to Spidey-senses, to mindfulness eating

We also recommend visiting the New York Times’ Mindfulness Guide for Children for resources on mindfulness for children from infancy through adolescence.

How do you and your family practice mindfulness? What benefits have you discovered? Share your story with us!