There are a number of definitions for mindfulness but one thing is for certain is that implementing mindfulness for teen anxiety works! Being fully present and aware of your feelings can help with those feelings of teen anxiety.
Now that mindfulness exercises are the talk of the town, I’m sure you acknowledge how we have undermined the importance of self-love and mindfulness for centuries.
I bet you also made it a resolution to practice it and then forgot about it later or perhaps you were deceived into thinking that you already love yourself.
You’re not alone in this. I remember I used to tell myself that I need to love myself but then again I would look at myself the way the world did.
There were so many things about the two concepts that I didn’t know. If you’re planning to practice self-love and mindfulness, you need to be well informed about these things.
What is 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. It doesn’t sound too much or too hard but it can take time to master actually being in tune with ourselves.
What is Teen anxiety?
Teen anxiety can be hard to spot because the teen years are tricky for many, but when feelings of isolation or chronic worry overwhelm a young person then some mindfulness training or mindfulness meditation might be required. If you spot these signs in your teenager then they could be experiencing anxiety.
Someone with an anxiety disorder may experience any of these common triggers:
- think they can’t face things that make them anxious this could include public speaking
- worry about all the bad things that could happen
- feel more anxiety and worry than is usual for specific situations
- need others to keep telling them things are OK
- do things to try to rid themselves of anxiety
- feel afraid of things that aren’t dangerous
- feel so anxious they can’t calm themselves and have panic attacks
- avoid things that make them anxious or nervous this could be called social anxiety.
Things you need to know before you practice self-love and mindfulness for teen anxiety
1. It takes mind control.
Everything great begins with training. Be it a race, contest or self-love, or mindfulness. Mind controlling might not be a hard nut to crack, but it doesn’t mean you have to take it at ease.
2. It takes time
Not everything happens in the blink of an eye. You cannot decide one day that you need to practice mindfulness and everything works out later. It would help if you made efforts every day to see the big change.
3. Mindfulness for teen anxiety and self-love are co-related
Let me keep it short and crisp for you, mindfulness is all about being in the present. When you practice self-love, you need to analyze your thought process. Doing so would require you to be in the present. Besides that, when you focus on your present self, you’ll love yourself for who you are, not who you wanted to be.
Now that you’re well-prepared. It’s time for me to finally spill the secret that’ll help you be mindful and self-loving.
20 Daily habits for mindfulness and self-love for young adults
The good news is that you can practise mindfulness for teen anxiety. You can make a change in powerful ways that will change your life for the better you just need mindfulness practice and to take it step by step. Mental health issues are at epidemic levels in our teenagers and there are effective ways to manage mental health issues before trying medication.
There are so many stories of anxious teens that we wanted to share practices that can help anxious thoughts become a thing of the past. These mindfulness activities can be practised easily at home and don’t need anything fancy to get you started. Each of these activities can help with those moments of panic that can engulf teenagers, they will teach a different way to live and can build positive outcomes when done regularly.
1. Surround yourself with reminders
Be it some post-it’s all over your closets, phone wallpapers, or just some wall frames, you need to surround yourself with reminders and positive affirmations
Self-loving is something you’d forget from time to time. You’ll be doing something that is just the opposite of self-loving and it would strike you later, “I was supposed to love myself today!” Keep practicing until you cultivate it into a habit.
2. Indulge yourself in morning prayers
What I mean by prayer, is just a note of thanks to life or god. Start your day by whispering in a quiet place,
“I am grateful for what I have, thank you’’ Take some deep breaths and really believe and focus on your gratefulness.
3. Feed your body with the best
You might be mistaken if you think that gorging on food your favourite junk food every day is one way of loving yourself. Rather, feed your body with nutritious food every day to be healthy.
4. It’s finally time to use your planner
Now is the time to put your long stocked planners to their best use. List down 15-30 fun activities and things you like to do. Now based on the number, allot these things to a certain date. There is no hard and fast rule to do it. Be flexible, you’re free to make any moderations to it.
5. Try to spend more time with your friends and family
Self-loving doesn’t involve loving yourself while neglecting others. It is also about spending time with people you love. Not only this will build a stronger bond, but you’ll also be making plenty of memories to cherish.
6. Mirror-mirror on the wall, I’m the prettiest no matter what they say
Half of the time, I would stand in front of the mirror and gaze at my imperfections. This is not self-loving. Self-loving is admiring your imperfections.
Make it a habit to stand in front of the mirror every day and say, “I look great”. This really helps with mindfulness for teen anxiety about physical imperfections that you see (that no-one else probably does)
7. Watch movies about self-love
Movies have the greatest influence on us. Spending your time watching movies that do not preach self-love is something you should skip. Instead, watch those which persuade you to love yourself more.
‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, ‘If I Stay’ and ‘A Beautiful Mind’ are my top recommendations and I found these are almost like visualization exercises.
8. Read the newspaper every day
Skip entertainment newspapers this time as we all know that celebrity culture does little for us and certainly doesn’t help you take control of your anxiety, rather pick the most informative newspaper. Reading newspapers would not only increase your knowledge but would keep you informed about big events in a better way.
9. A new skill every day
Brushing up your skills or simply improving your vocabulary is always a good idea when it comes to keeping your mind healthy and improving yourself.
10. Swap video games with puzzles
I might not be the first person to tell you that indulging in some brain exercises is the most fun way of boosting your mental skills. Word games, Sudoku, coloring books and Crosswords, there are so many options for you to choose from as these a great stress reduction activity.
11. Prioritise your sleep
Ditch your irregular and unhealthy sleep schedule. Make it a rule to sleep at least 8 hours a day, at the right time.
12. Tell someone you’re proud of them
Nothing makes you feel better than helping someone feel better about themselves. Spread positivity and watch it come back to you.
13. Go on a mindful walk
You already know daily walks come wrapped with benefits, but either you were lazy or didn’t find the time. Whatever it may be, spare some time to go on walks with yourself.
14. Don’t stress, keep calm
Ask yourself, “What good would stress do to me?” Try to be calm and give your best without worrying about anything.
15. List down your short-comings
No one is perfect but there’s no harm in trying to be one. List down your two shortcomings and work on them. Doing this every day will help you be a better person.
16. Practice special breathing exercises
Do this before you go to sleep for a healthy body and a healthy mind.
17. Stop depending on people
Say to yourself, ‘’the only person who can save me is me.’’
18. Sing a lullaby
Say it at least ten times before you sleep. ‘’I love myself, I need nobody else” Say it as you mean it.
19. Exercising
You’ll find its mention in every list you come across. But if you find traditional exercising routines just too much, you’re free to swap them for some fun short dance sessions. I do regular Iron Zuu sessions which is brilliant for my mental and physical well being and state of mind.
20. Less phone, less social media and more living
Switch notepad, with paper and pen. Switch mobile games with outdoor games. Using phones can be harmful to you both physically and mentally. Try to do everything the traditional way to be mindful.
Don’t think, just do it. Not tomorrow, but today. It’s never too late to plan, take charge of your life and make the best life for yourself. I don’t need to state the obvious, but it begins with self-loving and mindfulness.
Do let me know about your journey in managing mindfulness for teen anxiety in the comment section.
