5 4 3 2 1: Guided Meditation for Anxiety in Kids and Teens
Meditation is a calming practice that helps kids and teens manage anxiety and stress by helping them learn to focus on their breath or thoughts. Adding a short daily meditation can help your child relax, increase their emotional regulation skills and improve their concentration.
This is a great way to help your child learn to take a break from overwhelming feelings, take a breath and feel more in control of their emotions rather than their emotions being in control.
Guided meditation offers instructions that can help kids begin to learn to calm their mind and practice focusing on what is happening in their mind and their body. Focusing on the guided meditation will help improve focus skills, relaxation skills and emotional regulation.
Why Meditation is Important for Kids and Teens
Meditation is an important tool for St. Louis kids and St. Louis parents and one that our team of therapists at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis can help you learn how to do. Meditation helps people develop emotional regulation skills, which are crucial for managing stress and anxiety. It provides a break from the constant stimuli of screens, schoolwork, and social pressures which is much-needed in today’s fast-paced world. Regular meditation practice has been linked to improved mood, better sleep, and enhanced overall well-being.
How Meditation Helps with Anxiety
A regular meditation practice promotes mindfulness, which teaches kids and teens to stay present and spend less time worrying about the past or future. Meditation can help slow down the racing thoughts that often accompany anxiety. Slowing these thoughts down allows space for more balanced and helpful thinking. The deep breathing and visualization techniques used in meditation activate the body's relaxation response, which counters the fight-or-flight mode that anxiety can trigger.
Benefits of Guided Meditation
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Adrian Schledorn @aemes
Guided meditations provide structure and direction, which can make it a lot easier for beginners or those who struggle with focusing to engage in meditation. Guided meditations often offer comforting and supportive messages, which can be especially helpful for children who may feel alone or overwhelmed by their emotions. Listening to a calming voice can create a sense of safety and stability, which helps to reduce feelings of fear or anxiety.
Practical Tips for Starting Meditation with Kids and Teens
It can be helpful to start slow when beginning a meditation practice. Start with short sessions of about 5-10 minutes and gradually increase the length as your child becomes more comfortable. Choose a quiet, comfortable space free from distractions where your child feels safe and relaxed. Encourage consistency by adding meditation into your child’s daily routine, like before bedtime or after school. You can practice with them too!
How to Use Our Guided Meditation Recording
One of the ways you can practice meditation for attention is by using the following guided meditation below. You can listen to the meditation below at home, during study hall, or even with a school therapist.
The 5 4 3 2 1 Guided Meditation will help you to focus on your senses and what is happening in the present moment around you. This will help to slow down the swirl of thoughts and worry and help you to begin feeling more calm.
Additional Tips for Parents
Kids often learn from what they see. You can help your child benefit from meditation by building your own meditation practice. Setting time aside to practice with your child will give them the opportunity to see you model the importance of self-care and mindfulness.
Routines are very important for kids, especially kids who experience anxiety. Routines allow kids to be in a structured environment which gives them a sense of safety. Adding a meditation practice into your daily routines can help to create a calm and positive home environment.
Is it your child who needs help, or is it you too?
Child therapy makes a big impact on kids - and parents need support, too, which is why we offer Therapeutic Parent Coaching at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.
Support for St. Louis Kids, Teens and Parents
Meditation is an important skill for kids and teens to use that will help increase focus, reduce anxiety and increase their emotional regulation skills. Just a few minutes a day can have a big impact on both your kids and your family!
Give our 5 4 3 2 1 Guided Meditation a try, and if you would like to explore more guidance, set up a free consultation call to learn more about child and teen counseling as well as our therapeutic parent coaching at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.
Curious to hear more, or are you a little reluctant about counseling? Compassionate Counseling St. Louis provides specialized anxiety and anger management therapy for kids, teens, and college students as well as parent coaching. We work in Clayton, MO and provide anxiety counseling for kids, teens, and college students throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Couer, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. We also provide online therapy to teens and college students throughout the state of Missouri. You can set up your free phone consult right on our website.
