MAKE TIME | UNDERSTAND | LEARN TO. BE PRESENT T E E | | FOR YOURSELF | THE BRAIN EMBRACE THE REAL YOU COPE WITH BODY IMAGE AND MASTER RIN aac} YOUR EMOTIONS borates YOU TO CLEAR Sol I) OVERCOME YOUR DEMONS USE MINDFULNESS TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION Plas FITNESS. NUTRITION EXAM REVISION MEDITATION RELATIONSHIPS BE POSITIVE LEARN TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF LEARN TO DEAL WITH EVERYDAY &< STRESSES AND LIVE LIFE FULLY Pa!we iS Is ~ oS 7 a we ae = cals Ishether you are a teen looking for mindful practices to help you cope with the everyday, or a parent looking for advice and guidance into mindfulness for a teenager in need, Teen Mindfulness has something for you. Being a teenager can be tough at the best of times, but when you add in the pressures of exams, big life-changing decisions and the stress of trying to find your place in the world, it can be overwhelming, The challenges you face in your teenage years can shape who you are for the rest of your life, and learning mindful coping techniques early wil make all the difference. This book contains both interactive mindful rcises and advice covering topics that include; body positivity, depression, bullying, relationships. pressure and exam revision Embrace self belief, gain confidence and process emotions rely. Learn how to deal with change and how to talk ‘about tough subjects. Most importantly, use th ice in this book to live and enjoy life to the fullest Kebecca Greig Editor4 4 an I ipF fa esA i CONTENTS 08 — What is mindfulness 48 Build your bully barrier 42 How does the brain even work 52. Living without constant phone use 44 Mindful thinking: “Who am I?” 58 Mindful colouring 20 The am Poem 66 How to say difficult things 22 Your body, your self 92 Work/life balance and 28 Affirmations to live by mindfulness 30 What even is anxiety 78 Shower thoughts and depression 80 Reallife clutter 36 Anemotional boiler 84 Night, night, sleep tight WY The stress canister 88 Dealing with pressure about the future \W@ Changing your thoughts \? Recognise the good stuff 96 — Aguide to mindful revision 400 Constant distractions104 102 106 ne mw M6 120 124 125 126 130 Live your dreams When the going gets rough Eat well, move more Essential yoga poses for beginners 5 top tips to start running Gratitude and wellbeing Living in the moment The power of words True reflection Breathe and meditate your way to mindfulness LegacyWHAT IS MINDFULNESS; Why knowing about mindfulness can help you tackle the problems lite gives you THE PRESSURE OF BEING A TEENAGER Being e teenager can be one of the hardest times of your life. What can make 't worse is hearing adults, particularly the ‘older generations, telling you how much easier itis for you right now compared to when they were younger. Life as a teenager can be described as an unfair contradiction. You are expected to hold the responsibility of an adult in many ways (chores, visiting/caring for relatives, low paid jobs, exam performance), without having the opportunity to choose these things for yourself, with no more agency than when you were a child The world can feel lke it has been deliberately designed to make you feel stressed. I's not just schoolwork, family responsibilities and your social life you need to worry about. Our society also makes it clear you need to be up to date with culture, news events (from polities to the environment) current technology. ‘and an increasing number of social ‘media platforms. On top of all of these concerns, you also need to start making the decisions about what kind of person g you're going to be when you become an ‘adult; what you'll do, where youl lve, what kind of life you want to Build? HOW MINDFULNESS. CAN HELP : The truth is that mindful thinking is a tool, It can help when it's used in the right way, and generally some practice will be needed before you feel itis of real value. Tools are also only really Useful when you have a specific task or problem to achieve and teenage life {either fortunately or unfortunately) is Full of problems demanding your attention, Being a teenager has one major upside: = it helps prepare you for your life as ‘an adult. As a general rule, the easier people find their teenage years, whether because of privilege or circumstance, the bigger the shock is when they are faced with a real challenge that they are not prepared for as an adult. Mindful thinking isa tool to help you stay calm and in the moment, to prioritise your goals without external emotions, and make plans for how to take on each new challenge as it comes, “MINDFUL THINKING IS A TOOL. IT CAN HELP WHEN IT’S USED IN THE RIGHT. WAY, AND PRACTICE WILL BE NEEDED”KEEPING YOURSELF FOCUSED Of WHAT a Se Cl) Meera ny neg mind to wander, especially caer ee rR eau ae] Cee cals Ce eer CR ania stray from the task you're ee Reser ac encore —_—— SS UN aie a at) enn en ec ks ery emotional state, you will be much closer to renee ee aes eee ono nk ante eer are eee ee) when you can see it more from their perspective 40 HELPFUL KO I QUAN << Bs Xe) 41.200, Eee a ee , a 5 , OD oe ie nt eee ed nr cake keenest Corie ec ae ee) you to think in new ways oe ca ery Oe heey See ema! RATAN Rd BUN emda) aay Loa have an influence on our nee ero Beron eaeeeeneerd oe pe een are) poe een a Peeler es truly allows you to look at the ee ere BE KINDER TO YOURSELF We could all be a little kinder to ourselves, eee eae) Sore uy Sere ee) ets cea 4 een » J youhow to stop. iG err ” Portes eee) erring rheinaaa 0m a an or) Heer uae Rc ee eae aera oe ee oe Ta) agcieeen: . UE Lea eee ee a ERPeerty PS | SLE Ma ee eerie) eet 7] uaa) a ae don't even Pea) SS CM ar eta a a enter en ene anes Perenreres nee ee ee art eee erate sete closed, oF be sitting in the lotus position, You just view the world through eyes that are neutral, and examining the thoughts that appear naturally. PEC CaO) UDA Lieey manana ern rere don't have s an open Erne aac Heinen pono epet sy Poet on Perera i Cote Weneheailes Peete eer inn Lisa e See RU a Thinking, like catching a ball, is Pee ety Cette ae ee means that unhealthy thoughts lke “I am ee eek cd rena ed os ete eee ee ead Seo oe Stee aan Bare ee comer eg ead LO Be J DISMISSING UNTRUE an de Bae eee eaaey ~ ers Pe eed cere Dee ers uestion why it appeared, See nes ene Cates Pee een eee eer it)HOW DOES THE BRAIN EVEN WORK2 Brains are very complicated, teenage brains more than any other he human brain is probably the most complicated thing in the universe. What doesn't make it easier is that it changes as you grow, and the person you are changes along with it! The brain is made almost entirely ‘of neurones which transmit electrical messages from one part to another. By doing this, everything you see. feel, taste, touch, think, want or smell is known to your conscious mind, The ‘number of connections in your brain are into the hundreds of trillions, and ‘every person's brain is wired differently! It is the best demonstration that an individual is truly unique. And during ‘adolescence, the way you think and feel starts to change dramatically “THE WAY eer YOU THINK Peres AND FEEL STARTS TO CHANGE” / asters) Coes Ro)FRONTAL LOBE Soe aime Soc) yeaa oer a Ey Raval od Bo aos your brain ee ra ones Pree! erence een fectiatveventapecenty PARIETAL LOBE Cova as) ciety ferent) eeemIndFUL THINKING. mi: W am I?" is the A Wn has troubled people for centuries. For you it starts being asked nowowing the parts of yourself, RM Whotis perhaps mox frustrating that snd release thar, without fesing the ‘ter doing this few ines, hopefully youl ‘ya ate il earring the language to describe, emotionthat the thought hes triggered. After. be'in a place where the thought of yout family how you Feel and tying to tellother people "you've been inthis state for afew minutes et "+ member doesn't automatically ass thos ‘exactly what you are feeling isa challenge. _yourind dit over tothe member of the - negative feelings. "while sore thnk this an ineviable part ‘af growing up. many feel thet these rom meen WHEN YOU LOSE CONTROL -- ‘Approaching this typeof situation can feel ‘tough, because once you realize you ar in an What appers during @ meltdown and how you Can avoid it WHAT 1S A MELTDOWN! thought and vat type of emotion WHAT ARE THE CAUSES? it provokes, and how intensely it feels (without taking on the A meltdown simply means your Prcieaceatal ‘emotions are out of control, and you may say things that you later egret HOW TO LET ta your family, friends or co-workers OFF STEAM WHAT 1S GOING Of WHEN One method is mindful thinking, IT HAPPENS? but there ace other ways, such a8 ‘exercising, relaxing with a show you like, oF venting about it to friends. Perhaps even make plans for your life beyond the place you'te living right nove Your emotions feel more intense now than they will do as an adult, which means situations that shouldn't upset you too much will upset you greatly. The emotion over spills and suddenly you can't control WHAT HELPS YOU2 wai youve seid You might feel that you have said : something you can never take LEARN TO NOTICE back but in truth most ads know YOUR TRIGGERS actly what you ore experiencing. Most adults don't know how to do. and will forgive you. Ifyou can talk this properly, soit isnt on easy to the person afterwards (after the thing to do, The best way to-do this right amount of time has passed) is with mindful thinking. Consider and try to clear the air then try to the situation and assess each ‘explain why you had a meltdown,THE S7RESS CANISTER Empty everything that is in your head concerning work, study and home lite into your stress canister below Write everything inside the can Everyone has varying tolerances to stress, Think about how full your stress canister is. Is there much space left? Visualize the pressure building inside the can as you add to it. Some people are able to cope with more than others. Having the ability to cope with less at once isn't necessarily a bad thing, it ust means that you probably need more support and positive coping strategies, like mindful activities, to stay on top of themAlow pretend you are using the spray canister to do some art bere. Draw what that would look like. WILL ANY OF THESE STRESSES MATTER A YEAR FROM NOW? WHAT CAN | CHANGE? WHAT CANT | CHANGE AND NEED TO ACCEPT? CAN ANYONE HELP Me WHAT ARE SOME OF [NY UNHELPFUL COPING STRATEGIES? WHAT ARE SOME OF MY HELPFUL COPING STRATEGIES?Vinay Wi ee AWeeaante PAU Ts est tga ty 4 SBT A Wh SSS wel ty hy Met SS OA etn te ain SIMA HHS Ys Sy SMO SN Zuni Ny 4 Mele AN IW SS SQ ein ee ST , AE aaa nt CU ity CHANGING YOUR ut gai wil rene THOUGHTS ii MAT Write down some negative thoughts that you have, then think u Ar 4 of positive thoughts had you could have instead iw fl A NEGATIVE + ' My u 1 POSITIVE his ( au ty A MW whit TU) — wn Ml ' ue, tt {ECATIVE POSITIVE (uyue ‘MY teat Za A iy Wine 1 tt My) — Ry U ( NEGATIVE Mu wl POSITIVE + wn WwW WM WW Wy! ) My! \\\1 " ini — Mh NEGATIVE i Mita iI POSITIVE hy \ sl Myaly MM mutt t Un WA mY " i ily t rh Li fn HU ANNLEL KANN UTE a ne Ma etna! My CORT B77 HO 1 UL et ee Ziuun ta