What Is This “Mindfulness” Thing Anyway?

We’ve used the words “mindfulness mediation” a lot on this site, and perhaps you’re curious about what it means and what it is all about. We found this really neat short video for you that explains it quite well.

Five to ten minutes a day! That’s a pretty easy, cool brain exercise that can help you and your adolescent change the way you interact with the world around you.

Would you give this a try for a week? Would you do it with your adolescent? Tell us what you think in the comments! Give some suggestions for how this best fits into your life! 

How to Fast from Social Media

Sometimes you may feel as though your adolescent lives on their phone/tablet/computer. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, on and on! Everyone wants their attention!

You give likes, you get likes, your phone buzzes, little red numbers come up on the apps letting you know about every interaction, every moment someone may notice you.

Are you giving yourself time to just be you? For them to just be them?

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Flow: The Secret to Positive Attitude

In his TED talk, world-famous Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, “What makes a life worth living?” He emphasizes that money cannot make us happy. That includes holiday gifts or external reassurance that “everything will be okay.” He has studied individuals who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state that he has called “flow.”

The discipline of positive psychology holds that flow—which is sometimes called “being in the zone”—is the state of mind in which you’re totally consumed in an activity, not to achieve perfection or control the outcomes of problems, but just to enjoy the activity for its own sake. 

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App Review: Calm.com

Have you heard of Calm.com? It’s a collection of relaxation and meditation tools, some of which are free and some of which are accessed through subscription.

Just landing on the homepage lets you listen to gorgeous sounds of running water and birds—designed to help you close your eyes and take a refreshing 10-minute break in your stressful day.

They have a free smartphone app, and it’s great! One of the things we really like about the app …

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Stop, Breathe & Think App Review

Photo Credit: Stop, Breathe, & Think >
Photo Credit: Stop, Breathe, & Think >

The Stop, Breathe & Think App is available for iOS and Android. But what does it do?

The app is another tool to help with mindfulness and meditation. Taking just 5 minutes for yourself, your breath, and your thoughts can be very helpful in creating peacefulness within your life.

One of the focus’ of this app is on kindness which starts with you practicing kindness towards yourself. One of the great things we like about this app is that you can check-in with how you are feeling on the app and it recommends different short meditations to do with the app that allows you to “stop, breathe, and think” to gain a new perspective on your situation.

There’s also a web based version of the app here which you can use without downloading the app or signing in. Overall we think this is a great resource for people to use.

Not only is it great as a parent to take a moment to breathe and take care of yourself, but also for adolescents to do the same thing. We think this app is great for anyone because it uses meditations that fit where you are now rather than general meditations.

Tell us what you think! Did you try the app or the web version? Do you believe in the importance or value of meditation? We’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences!

A Polished Image

This TED talk can make us all think about how what we see on social media, in the news, in magazines, and online can be “entirely manufactured.” Cameron Russell, in her talk, points out that models are chosen solely based on looks and what is show is not authentic. It’s important to keep in mind that many people, such as models and the fashion industry, use social media to craft an image of themselves or someone else that they want the public to see – not what is actually happening with them. Encouraging and supporting adolescents to build friendships online is important for healthy development.

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MindShift App Review

Photo Credit: MindShift App
Photo Credit: MindShift App

Mindshift is an app for iOS and Android that can help you with anxiety and depression symptoms. While an app is not a replacement for therapy, it can help between sessions to ease your mind and help manage your triggers. Helping adolescents manage their symptoms between sessions is very helpful to their care overall.

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Judgement

JUDGEMENT 

It’s a big word, and something no one wants to experience, especially from their health care provider. It might be even worse if it comes from your mental health care provider (e.g., therapist, counselor, psychiatrist). However, we want to assure you that your therapist or psychiatrist are not in their field to judge you or your adolescent. They are not there to make you or your child feel shameful about what you’re going through. IMG_6624[1]

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