Recovery Connections Network : WORRY LESS: Mindfulness Techniques

Friday, June 5, 2020

WORRY LESS: Mindfulness Techniques

Treatment

Programs

WORRY LESS

MINDFULNESS TECHNIQUES

FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH

Understandably, children and youth often have pressures that can cause worry--school, friends, competitive sports, etc. If and when you are worried, find ways to relax your mind and body. Remember ... worrying less will help keep your body happy and healthy. If you or someone you know is experiencing anxiety, try some of these mindfulness techniques to better manage such feelings.

BELLY BREATHS

Sit comfortably in a calm place. Feel free to place your hands on your belly and close your eyes if you can.

Begin by closing your mouth and breathing in slowly through your nose for four seconds or until your chest is filled with air down to your belly.

Hold the air in your belly for four seconds and slowly blow out all the air through the mouth.

Repeat as many times as necessary or until you feel calm.

GUIDED MEDITATION

With eyes closed, breathe gently through your nose and picture in your mind a place you would like to be or a favorite place—a forest, the beach, a park, or somewhere else.

Imagine what this place looks and sounds like and how this makes you feel.

Try and smell the aromas, taste the air, hear the sounds.

Feel your body relax and continue for at least five minutes.

TALK

Promote the idea of talking about feelings and worries.

Tell a trusted person, like a teacher or counselor, about your worries.
Encourage everyone to identify the feeling or situation when they experience it by using sentences that start with I feel _____ when _____.

REMEMBER … If you are experiencing an immediate crisis, please call 911.

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