A common complaint amongst teenagers is that they feel overwhelmed and stressed by life’s challenges. Add in social factors that many adolescents are pressured with on a day to day basis and it is no wonder many teens don’t know how to deal with their emotions. One way to manage stress that has been successful over many years is practicing mindfulness.
Teenagers may see mindfulness in teens as completely unrelated to their busy and connected lives. But there are many ways that adolescents {and adults!} can benefit from a mindfulness and meditation practice. Mindful practices offer uncountable benefits. In a society of quick demands, teaching mindfulness and meditation is a no brainer to naturally, and effectively help adolescents. Below you can find the physical and mental benefits of living mindfully.
Physical Benefits:
- Meditation practice has been demonstrated to increase immune function. One study found that people who meditated produced more antibodies to the flu vaccine than people who didn’t meditate
- Mindfulness in teens, including eating mindfully, has been linked to weight loss
- In another study, participants who practiced meditation lowered their blood pressure and cut their heart attack risk
- Meditation reduces levels of the hormone cortisol (which raises blood pressure and levels of stress)
- Taking a few deep breaths engages our parasympathetic nervous system (our “rest and digest” mode) and deactivates our sympathetic nervous system (our “fight, flight, or freeze” mode)
Mental Benefits:
- Meditation is linked to having a longer attention span and improves concentration
- Meditation increases activity in the prefrontal cortex (associated with planning and judgement) and in the anterior cingulate (associated with emotional regulation, learning, and memory)
- One study shows that participants who meditated for 30 minutes a day for 8 weeks had an increase in gray matter in the regions of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, and empathy.
- Students who meditated prior to an exam performed better than students who did not. The researchers linked meditation to improved cognitive functioning.
- Meditation can help improve stress, anxiety and depression
Solstice, a residential treatment center for teen girls and assigned female at birth ages 14-18, works with teens struggling with emotional and behavioral difficulties. For more information about Solstice, please call (866) 278-3345.
