Understanding How Self-Care Supports Your Teen’s Success

Self-care is a term that’s overused and easily misunderstood. So what is it exactly? According to the Mt. Sinai Adolescent Health Center, self-care is not about bubble baths and pedicures. “Self-care refers to intentionally engaging in practices and activities that reduce stress… It can look really different for different people.” With teen stress levels at […]
Why Living Consciously is so Important for Teens

What does it mean to live consciously? According to Zen Habits blogger Leo Babauta, it’s about “taking control of your life, about thinking about your decisions rather than making them without thought… If you’re drifting through life, or feel out of control, or don’t know how you got here, deciding to live consciously could be […]
Why Emotional Regulation is so Important for Teens

The teen years are known for intense emotions with good reason. First, the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain in charge of reasoning, logic and impulse control – is still developing in teens. Second, the hormones that spark puberty’s physical changes also amp up activity in the emotional and reward-seeking centers of the […]
4 Ways Your Teen Can Practice Mindful Breathing

Mindful breathing is simple: Inhale. Exhale. Pay attention. Repeat. Can something so simple really make a difference to teens? A recent study of nearly 400 11th-graders says yes. The more students practiced mindful breathing techniques, the more they reported feeling capable of managing stress. Lead researcher Deborah Schussler says that’s because mindful breathing buys teens […]
3 Mini-Meditations for Teens

Teens today have a lot of reasons to feel stressed. Mindfulness – paying attention to the present moment – is one of the best ways to deal with stress, but kids, like adults, often find it challenging to adopt new habits, especially when stress levels are already high. We recommend starting small with strategies that […]