Stress and anxiety are common factors of daily life for most of today’s teenagers. Within limits, the average teen has the ability to cope with these unpleasant feelings and emotional reactions. However, an overload of stress and anxiety can have a significant negative impact on teens’ well-being. A variety of techniques can potentially reduce your child’s exposure to stressful or anxious feelings. One option you may want to consider is a meditation therapy program. Research shows that programs of this type offer a number of documented mental and physical health benefits. Call Imagine Spokane at 888.384.3143 to learn how we can help.
What Are Stress and Anxiety?
Stress and anxiety are closely related. Both of these feelings are emotion-based responses to certain situations. However, the nature of those situations tends to differ. Generally speaking, stress is a response to a current thing, situation, or circumstance outside yourself. Common examples of stress-generating triggers for teens include:
- Tests and other school-related demands
- Problems in friendships and/or romantic relationships
- Family conflicts
- Divorce and other major life changes
- An overloaded school and activity schedule
- Inadequate sleep
Anxiety is more focused on the future than stress. It is also not as connected to specific things, situations or circumstances. However, its potential effects are essentially the same as the effects of stress. Such effects may include irritable moods and lack of energy. They may also include muscle tension and problems thinking clearly or concentrating.
The Importance of Managing Stress and Anxiety
Effective management of stress and anxiety is crucial for both teens and adults. If these powerful responses are left unchecked, they can eventually lead to serious health problems. On the physical front, these problems include increased future risks for a range of chronic illnesses. On the mental front, they include increased chances of developing a diagnosable anxiety disorder. Unmanaged stress can also make existing chronic illnesses and anxiety disorders worse.
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is the umbrella term for a variety of practices that take advantage of the natural mind-body connection. Each specific practice approaches this connection in its own way. However, essentially all forms of meditation require you to do things such as:
- Focus your attention
- Follow your breathing
- Become more aware of your present surroundings
- Calm your mind
- Limit external distractions
The roots of most meditative traditions are religious. But today, meditation is widely used as a non-secular practice. This non-secular approach is the norm for the typical teen mental health program.
The Benefits of Meditation for Teen Stress and Anxiety
When it comes to managing stress and anxiety, meditation is a potent tool. This is just as true for teenagers as it is for adults. In fact, meditation can be especially helpful for teens. Why? It can strengthen certain key pathways inside teenagers’ developing brains. These pathways make it easier to keep anxious feelings under control.
Meditation for stress and anxiety has other known potential benefits for teens. For example, it can help limit the physical effects of stressful and anxious feelings. It may also improve your child’s ability to focus and concentrate. In addition, meditation may help improve your teen’s sense of wellness and self-worth.
Learn More About the Benefits of Meditation for Stress and Anxiety at Imagine Spokane
Want more information on how your teen can benefit from a meditation program? Talk to the mental health experts at Imagine Spokane. We understand the many benefits of meditation for managing stress and anxiety. We also know what it takes to develop and carry out an effective meditation plan. In addition, we can coordinate such a plan with the rest of your child’s mental health treatment.
Just reach out to us today at 888.384.3143. We’re also available through our online contact form.