Mindfulness Tips to Help Teens with School
School was challenging enough before the pandemic. With online and hybrid learning, it has become even more difficult for teens to manage the responsibilities of being a student. It’s tough to focus in class when the classroom has become their bedroom. It can be a hurdle just to get started on homework when your teen is anxious about the workload. When teens get stuck in overwhelming feelings of anxiety, mindfulness skills help bring them into the present moment. Practicing mindfulness can really make an impact on your teen’s learning experience. Here are some mindfulness tips to help teens succeed at school…
Take a non-judgmental stance –
Judgments are FUEL on emotional fire. You need judgments in order to stay safe; however, negative judgments may move you away from your goals. Think about it: when you concentrate on judgments, like how boring a class is or how many pages you have to read for homework, it can be discouraging. When you take a non-judgmental stance, you focus only on the facts. You avoid mistaking your opinions or emotions for the facts. Since it is impossible to eliminate judgments entirely, identify your judgments and replace them with a non-judgmental, neutral stance. Replace the judgmental thought of “It will take forever to read 30 pages of that confusing book” with “I have to read 30 pages of Moby Dick. My goal is to get it done in a half hour.” Recognizing and rephrasing judgmental self-talk can make a big difference!
Practice one-mindfully –
Do you feel overwhelmed looking at your planner and realizing that you have 5 assignments due soon? You could be trying to finish up a math worksheet, and you just can’t focus because you’re worrying about the history test you have to study for too. Instead of getting overtaken by the workload, take it one step at a time with one-mindfully. This skill helps block out distractions and it helps you to remain present in the moment. Practice one-mindfully by picking an assignment and focusing ONLY on that assignment in the moment. If you get distracted and you start thinking about other work, gently bring yourself back to the task at hand non-judgmentally. Be aware that your mind is wandering (it happens to everyone!), and calmly return your attention to the task at hand.
Be effective –
Do your emotions sometimes get in the way of getting homework done on time? Do your thoughts ever prevent you from putting your best effort into a test or presentation? Let go of emotions and judgments that get in the way of doing what works with effectively. Effectively is a mindfulness technique that encourages you to focus on doing what works in order to meet your goals. Start by considering what your goals are in the moment. Maybe your goal is to take good notes during the class review ahead of tomorrow’s test. You may experience a variety of urges and emotions as class starts; you may experience the urge to shut down because the amount of information on the test is overwhelming. You may also feel the urge to hyper-focus on the teacher’s extra explanations of concepts on the study guide. When being effective, be mindful of both urges and make a decision that helps you move towards your goal. In this case, actively make the choice to take diligent notes so that you have the extra insight to do well on the test. Effective decisions will guide you towards success.
School is tough, especially during today’s circumstances. Luckily, mindfulness skills like non-judgmentally, one-mindfully, and effectively can help your teen manage school-related challenges. Non-judgmentally allows teens to reframe self-talk so that judgments don’t get in the way of being productive. One-mindfully makes typically overwhelming workloads less daunting. Effectively helps teens make mindful decisions in the moment. By practicing these mindfulness skills, navigating schoolwork can become less stressful and more manageable for teens.