Did you know that in the last decade the number of people suffering with mental health issues has risen dramatically? Just over a decade ago around 10% of people suffered with some kind of mental health issue; that figure has risen to 1 in 4. The figure in teenage girls is even higher: 1 in 3.
These figures prompted me to start investigating & I came across some startling statistics:
- 75% of those with mental illness are diagnosed before they are 18 year’s old
- 50% before they are 15 year’s old
- By the age of 16, 1 in 10 school kids will be diagnosed with mental illness
- 75% of young people don’t receive treatment & the average wait is 10 years
- Only 6% of the UK health research spending is on mental health
- The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 depression will be the 2nd leading cause of global disease, outstripping heart disease by 2030 as the leading cause of global disease
When you look into our teenagers specifically, 4 out of 5 12-16 year olds have stated they experience some level of emotional distress: starting secondary school effects 79% of kids; 41% of kids worry about exams, whilst 31% feel overworked; 28% worry about their friendships; 26% feel they lack confidence or have body image concerns; 25% feel overwhelmed; 23% worry about peer pressure & acceptance.
This is amongst a backdrop of our kids spending a staggering 8 hours a day multi-media-tasking & having 50% less spare time than in the 60’s. In short our kids are over-scheduled, over-worked & over-exposed to technology & it’s starting to impact their mental health.
Young children are naturally mindful: just watch them play, they are totally engrossed in the moment & in a wonderful state of flow which is a very powerful place for our brains to be in. Time flies, we are single-tasking, focused, concentrated & present.
But sadly this innate mindfulness is somehow conditioned out of our kids as they are bombarded with a continual stream of technology, the pressure to perform in exams & stats, before we even take into consideration a whole realm of external stresses outside of the classroom.
By introducing our kids to some simple mindfulness techniques we can improve their productivity, potential & well-being.
Mindfulness is an integrated mind & body approach which helps young children manage their thoughts, feelings, emotions & ultimately their mental health by helping them become more aware of their bodily sensations & thought patterns so that they can identify them, step away from them & ultimately manage them instead of getting overwhelmed by them.
In addition to helping kids manage feelings, thoughts & emotions, mindfulbess can also help them concentrate, increasing their focus & attention, whilst promoting a sense of peace & calm.
In short mindfulness helps kids improve their well-being & resilience, whilst giving them essential coping mechanisms to help with everyday stress, improve conflict management & improve their relationships.
The good news too is it’s not all sitting around on a meditation meditating, which in all honesty can be excruciating for kids. I learnt this mistake the hard way when my kids were much younger & we would try to do belly or buddy breathing. This is a fun way to get your kids in tune with breathing into their tummies by balancing their favourite teddy on their tummy. I thought 3 minutes was an optimum time to practice. They however had other ideas & would squirm around, get the giggles, protest & it was anything but mindful!
Mindfulness is about being aware of the present moment by using our body or our breath. It’s not about controlling the mind because after all the mind will continue to do what it does, which is think thoughts. It is more about not allowing our minds to control us.
Yoga is a form of mindful movement & can often be a fun way to introduce kids to mindfulness. Often it is easier to become engaged in the present moment through movement. It is non-competitive, encouraging an awareness of body, mind & spirit that generates better self-awareness & self-acceptance.
Both approaches encourage kids to learn how to be still & relax – it’s not easy to sit still & relax, it takes practice & both yoga & mindfulness encourage the idea that relaxing is not only good for us but feels good too.
There is also a growing body of scientific evidence that mindfulness can literally rewire our brains. Research suggests that mindfulness helps to increase activity in the pre-frontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with positive emotions. This is the same area that is less active in people who are depressed. Areas of the brain associated with emotional regulation are larger in people who regularly meditate. Kids who practice mindfulness generally score higher in wellbeing & lower in stress.
Researchers at Oxford University have found that mindfulness can help combat depression as effectively as meditation (with none of the side effects), whilst the risk of relapse falls by 44% for those who practice regularly.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if, instead of conditioning our kids’ natural mindfulness out of them, we could nurture & nourish these vital skills? What if we could teach our kids simple, easy, fun techniques that would help them not only through their school lives, but beyond helping them to lead healthier, happier, more balanced, calm & peaceful, easier lives?
Well we can!
MYAnanda is launching an after school program in January which will offer kids the chance to learn different yoga & mindfulness activities.
If you’d like to try a taster of these session I will be running Parent & kids yoga & mindfulness sessions this ½ term, starting tomorrow (Mon 28th Oct) & Thursday (1st Nov) 10-11am at Iron Mann Gym, Briar Close Industrial Est only £5/person
There are also mindful parenting courses & an in school program.
All of these can be found on my website www.myananda.co.uk or please email me for info at alex@myananda.co.uk
Watch this space for more news about the after school program coming soon in 2019!