Mindfulness Meditation & Mental Health

MINDFULNESS 

What is mindfulness? Learning to stay in the present moment, when emotions (fear, worry, anxiety) come into our thoughts. Learning to better control your thoughts is a skill that needs practice. Mindfulness Meditation & mental Health go hand in hand, and help with many symptoms, for both yourself and your family. 

The mind can be consciously controlled, to avoid ruminations such as a fight with a friend, a scraped knee, lost money, lost opportunity, a school test, or even not getting the candy you wanted. 

So why teach children about mindfulness? Mindfulness is about developing skills of awareness, of both inside the body and the outside environment. It’s about understanding how emotions feel in the body and how to be aware of and control of our thoughts. 

The Mindfulness activities sheets included in the ‘calming booklets’ are there to help you start your practice of mindfulness. Once you learn the basics of being aware of your surroundings and where the body is in space, you can have that ability to bring yourself back to the present moment anywhere you need it. Try to use this when you are outside or out in nature – start to notice the trees, the clouds, the ground beneath our feet, the temperature of our hands, the sounds of the birds, the ground scuffling beneath us, the smell of air, etc. To expand this practice, guided meditations are also very helpful.