Mindfulness for Our Anxious & Stressed Children

No doubt about it – our children can be stressed out. With their intense academics, multiple activities, and our rushed family lifestyles, our children feel stressed and distressed. Add on constant exposure to social media and it’s no surprise are struggling with depression, low self-esteem, and fear of missing out (FOMO).

A recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that teens are reporting adult levels of stress due to chronic sleep deprivation and increased academic pressure. Technology, not surprisingly also plays a key role in creating stress for our adolescents and children, who are “wired and tired.”

What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. There are many mindfulness practices out there geared toward adults and children. However, one major technique that is used is meditation. Meditation starts with being aware of our body. This act alone can be calming, since our body has internal rhythms that help it relax if we give it a chance. All it takes is sitting in a quiet area, closing our eyes, and tuning in to our breathe, which can be more difficult than you think!

How does Mindfulness/Meditation Impact our Kids’ Bodies and Brains?
Incorporating mindfulness practices and meditation into our day can help our children and adolescents quiet their minds and bodies, and decrease the negative flow of cortisol in their bodies. Taking 5 minutes each day, perhaps at the beginning and/or end of the day, can improve focus, improve test scores, boosted immune systems and lower blood pressure. There is literature that even suggests that meditation can rewire key areas of the brain that are associated with stress, self-awareness and compassion.

Mindfulness Activities
Since teenagers have shorter attention spans than adults, we can engage them with playful activities, such as hiking or music.

Guided meditations are very helpful for children and teens because it fully engages the child while allowing them to calm the mind. Here are a few apps that can help with that!

​Mindful coloring books can be found anywhere and have become a huge hit in the classrooms for a quick sensory break.

Children benefit from deep breathing exercises, especially those who become highly anxious or stressed. One exercise is called “Darth Vader” breathing. The child will lightly cover their mouth with their hands and take deep breaths in and out making the Darth Vader noise. This will help the child to slow down their breathing and relax.

Another fun activity is called “Spidey Senses” which helps your child become in touch with their senses and become grounded in stressful situations. Instruct your kids to turn on their “Spidey Senses”, the super-focused senses of smell, sight, hearing, taste, and touch that Spiderman uses to keep tabs on the world around him. Have them observe their surroundings by focusing on one sense at a time  – e.g. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you feel under your feet? What do you taste?

For teens and children, mindfulness and meditation teaches them how to more effectively deal with change, stress, disappointments and overwhelming emotions. The teenage brain undergoes important transformations. Meditation can lay the groundwork for a lifetime of improved resilience and focus. Mindfulness and meditation can help children and teenagers turn inward and experience a sense of self control, and become in-touch with their thoughts and feelings. Once a child is able to respond to their personal thoughts and feelings, they can cultivate a sense of emotional intelligence and learn how to connect with people in more meaningful ways for the adult years that follow.

Resources:
Harris, D. (n.d.). Meditation Becoming More Popular Amongst Teens. In Good Morning America.
Mundasad, S. (2015, April 21). Depression: ‘Mindfulness-based therapy shows promise’. In BBC News.
Pfaff, L. (n.d.). The Mindfulness Revolution. In New Jersey Monthly . Retrieved January 10, 2017.

by Miranda Dekker, LCSW
"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
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"Dr. Matheis has an amazing ability to read kids and connect with them. She has been an invaluable resource for our family over the past several years and has helped us with everything from educational consulting, to uncovering diagnoses as well as family therapy. Working with Dr. Matheis never feels clinical and most importantly, our children love and trust her. We can not thank you enough Dr. Liz!"
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"My teenage son had been seeing Dr. Matheis through his senior year of high school, as he was only diagnosed with ADHD at 16 years old.  Dr. Matheis came highly recommended from our pediatrician and she has done wonders for our son as well as our family, navigating new ways for him to deal with his diagnosis without the use of medication.  She taught him ways to organize himself and even when something did not work for him, she patiently continued teaching him new ways to keep himself on track.  She has also helped us as parents to understand how his mind works so that we did not continue to blame his lack of focus on him, rather on his unique way of thinking.  Thank you Dr. Matheis!!!!"
- LG
"Dr. Liz is the best! Our family was directed to her by our Pediatrician to assist with figuring out severe mood changes, severe anxiety, strange new fears and food aversion that had come onto one of our children literally overnight. After just a couple of visits, she suggested that the issues may actually be rooted in a physical issue and suggested we immediately take our child to be swabbed for strep, because Dr. Liz suspected PANDAS (a pediatric autoimmune disorder brought on by strep). The same Pediatrician that suggested Dr. Liz would not do the swab (they do not believe in PANDAS and we no longer go there) but I took my child to my doctor who did the swab and it was positive for strep. When our child went on antibiotics, within 24 hours all symptoms went away and our child was back :-) Dr. Liz then recommended a PANDAS specialist who helped us and our child is in complete remission and is happy and healthy. We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Liz for her knowledge of all things, even the most remote and unusual and for helping us so much! Thank you!"
- Anonymous
"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Anonymous
"Thank you, Dr. Liz. Although we have told you countless times, it will never feel enough. You have listened when J could barely speak and continued to listen when he was sad, angry and confused. You've challenged him and directed us in our roles as parents. You've helped J face his fears while the list evolved and changed, and yet you've stayed committed to 'the course.' We pray that your children realize that time away from them is spent helping children learn and that vulnerability is a sign of strength and bravery."
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"My son was admitted to an Ivy League school when only 2 years ago, you assessed him and saw his struggles, his Dyslexia. We are grateful that he no longer has to carry that deep feeling of inadequacy or shame that must have kept him so self conscious and from reaching his potential. He has the PERFECT program for him. He has A's in high math and economics. He became a Merit Scholar, a Boys State legislature, the HEAD captain of the football team and help a job ALL while studying and managing his classes and disability. I am PROUD of you, a young doctor, who knows and sees the vulnerability of children and helps them recognize "it's NO big deal" God bless."
- Anonymous

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