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 time to take charge of their emotions. “It gives you a pause so that automatic response, which is frequently not the best response, is hijacked.” Another big plus, Schussler says, is that mindful breathing is “a portable practice that students can easily integrate anytime, anywhere.” To introduce the benefits of mindful breathing to your teen, try these four research-backed practices:

• Box Breathing 

Best for: emotional self-regulation, managing stress and anxiety

Picture a box with four equal sides. Inhale to a count of four as you mentally trace one of the sides of the box. Then hold your breath for a count of four, tracing another side. Then exhale to a count of four, and hold for a count of four. Repeat. Box breathing is used by soldiers, first responders and others to stay calm and in control in high-stress situations. It works by taming the sympathetic nervous system response, which ramps up stress hormones like cortisol as the body prepares to fight or flee. Box breathing can be used in any situation that triggers stress. It’s especially useful for teens with anxiety of any kind (like social, performance, or test anxiety) or teens who struggle to stay in control of intense emotions.

• Body Scan

Best for: relaxation, self-care, teens who have trouble winding down

A body scan meditation is usually guided by a recording, like this practice on Insight Timer. It’s a step-by-step way to relax the body by breathing deeply and focusing on one part at a time: “Bring your attention to your feet. Feel the sensations of your feet resting against the floor, the texture of your socks. Maybe wiggle your toes. Now imagine that you can send your breath down into your feet, relaxing them completely as you exhale.” When teens are tense, they tend to hold their breath. Shallow breathing stimulates the amygdala, the part of the brain that’s responsible for processing stressful stimuli, and makes it even harder for teens to calm down. Listening to a body scan helps teens relax and can even help them fall asleep. Try doing this practice as a family to give everyone a little much-needed down-time.

• Counting Breaths

Best for: focus and concentration, neurodiverse teens

The simple technique of counting breaths can help teens train their brains to boost focus and concentration. One study asked participants to track their breaths on each exhale, counting one through nine and then starting over after the ninth breath. Not surprisingly, experienced meditators found it easier to pay attention. That means the more teens practice, the more they enhance their ability to focus. All participants reported “more self-awareness, less mind wandering, better mood and less distraction.” The results suggest that counting breaths may be especially beneficial for teens with ADHD or on the autism spectrum, as well as any teen who needs help directing attention. To track concentration with your teen, try counting up to ten breaths at a time.

• Energizing Breath

Best for: energy and alertness

Does your teen struggle to stay awake in boring classes or get tired when they’re studying? This breath practice can help them regulate the flow of oxygen in their blood, which energizes the body and makes the brain more alert. Diaphragmatic breathing or “belly breathing” engages the diaphragm by relaxing the muscles of the stomach and allowing deep, full breaths. It’s the way we should be breathing all the time, but factors like stress, hunching over phones or computers, and even sucking in our stomachs to look thinner cause us to breathe shallowly. Teach teens to inhale deeply to a count of two, then exhale to a count of two. Then inhale to a count of two, and exhale to a count of three. Continue breathing in to a count of two and extending the exhale each time until they’re exhaling to a count of five. In only about one minute, teens get an almost-instant energy uplift.

• They feel deep emotions
• They are introverted and need time alone to recharge
• They take criticism and disagreements hard
• They are extra-sensitive to their surroundings (light, temperature, noise, etc.)
• They are creative and/or deep thinkers
• They get easily overwhelmed or overstimulated
• They often deal with anxiety
• They are intuitive about others’ feelings
• They have a few close friends instead of a huge social circle

It’s important for both parents and teens to know that sensitivity is a personality trait, not a disorder, and most highly sensitive adults say they see their sensitivity as a gift. To discover the superpowers in their sensitivity, teens need help learning to manage their nervous systems and navigating a world that feels too intense at times. Here are our top four tips for supporting your highly sensitive teen.

1. Understand sensitivity and help them see their strengths.

If you think your teen is highly sensitive, you can gain perspective by reading psychologist Elaine Aron’s book The Highly Sensitive Person. The first researcher to define the trait, Aron is an HSP (highly sensitive person) herself. She’s also written a special series of blog posts for teens. Because the majority of the population is not as sensitive, many highly sensitive teens feel like there’s something wrong with them. Maybe they don’t like crowded parties or noisy concerts, struggle with public speaking, or feel completely deflated after a disagreement with a friend. They may have been called a crybaby, made fun of, or told to “toughen up.” Aron helps parents and teens define sensitivity, understand its strengths, and learn to manage it in a positive, proactive way.

2. Build a foundation of wellness.

Wellness is important for all teens, but it’s even more so for HSPs. Highly sensitive teens need stable routines for diet, exercise, and sleep to keep their nervous systems running smoothly. Start with simple goals, like making sure they get 8 to10 hours of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast every morning. Teach your teen how to HALT: when they’re feeling Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired (or overwhelmed in any way). They can take a pause and do some self-care, like going for a walk or just closing their eyes for one minute to breathe. Research has found that all teens, including HSPs, should get at least one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise most days. Besides the physical benefits, exercise helps highly sensitive teens stay mentally and emotionally grounded.

3. Help them manage hectic schedules.

Between school, homework, extracurricular activities, after-school jobs, and time with friends and family, teens lead busy lives. Highly sensitive teens can easily get overwhelmed juggling it all. Most HSPs need extra rest and time alone to recharge. Teach your teen to prioritize their own well-being first, followed by the responsibilities and relationships that matter most to them. Help them schedule downtime, and suggest tools for self-care and managing stress, like these mini-meditations. If they seem drained, irritable, or overly emotional, ask them if they need a break and let them know you’re here to help. Make sure they know the need for downtime isn’t a weakness. Instead, it activates sensitivity superpowers like creativity and intuition, and helps them have more energy for the things they care about.

4. Empower them to be independent.

Lots of highly sensitive teens experience anxiety or seem to struggle more than most with everyday challenges. This can send well-meaning parents into helicopter mode, but it\’s important for sensitive teens to learn how to be independent, too. Think about how you can empower them to stretch themselves without overdoing it. Highly sensitive teens may need extra structure and support to meet their goals, like talking through options, clarifying their values, and setting micro-goals. One mom says she was worried when her highly sensitive daughter planned to go to the same huge state university as her two best friends. But, after a few campus visits and heart-to-heart talks, she decided on a college with smaller classes and more mentorship for first year students. “She’s really found her niche there, and she’s so proud that she made the right choice for herself.”

Highly sensitive teens are special. They are empathetic, conscientious, perceptive, creative, and often driven by high ideals and care and concern for others. With your support, your teen can learn to see their sensitivity as a superpower and start using it to make the world a better place.

Nothing is harder for parents than seeing their child struggle and not knowing how to help. It’s important to remember that while there’s no single solution to stress, parents can do a lot to help teens recognize, reduce, and manage stress so it doesn’t get overwhelming. Here are four research-backed, time-tested stress strategies for teens.

1. Teach teens the difference between stress and anxiety.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, stress is “the physical or mental response to an external cause, such as having a lot of homework or having an illness.” Anxiety is the body’s internal reaction to stress, and it can happen even when there’s no current threat. In other words, stress goes away when the problem is resolved, but anxiety recurs, usually as a “persistent feeling of apprehension or dread that doesn’t go away.” When teens understand the difference between stress and anxiety, they can break down a big feeling of overwhelm into more manageable chunks. Since stress is external it often has an external solution, like getting help from a teacher, adjusting their schedule, or talking to a counselor. Taking concrete steps can help relieve internal anxiety by reducing the external causes of stress.

2. Teach teens to recognize how stress affects them.

Stress impacts teens physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. Some common physical symptoms include headaches, stomachaches, and more frequent colds or other minor illnesses. Stressed teens may have trouble sleeping, feel more irritable or moody, struggle with learning and concentration, or isolate themselves socially. Negative self-talk and worry are also signs of stress. Parents can help teens understand the link between stress and symptoms like these and address the stress before it gets worse. If you notice a change in your teen’s health or behavior, simply asking, “Do you think this might have something to do with stress?” is a great way to start a conversation about the root cause.

3. Help teens build a strong network of relationships.

Social support equals better mental health for teens. Parents can’t do it all alone, and each trusted relationship in a teen’s life is a potential source of support when they’re dealing with stress. According to Search Institute, the most powerful relationships for teens to cultivate are developmental relationships with adults who express care, challenge teens to grow, provide support, share power and respect, and expand their possibilities. Teens might form developmental relationships with parents, teachers, mentors, coaches, or extended family members. And solid friendships with peers are important, too. One study found that adolescents who spent time with peers after a stressful event were less likely to feel sadness or worry than those who spent time alone.

4. Help teens build a toolkit of coping skills.

The teenage years expose kids to a whole new set of potential stressors, from academic pressures to more complex relationships. When parents help teens develop coping skills for everyday problems, they have a ready-made toolkit to deploy for life’s bigger stresses. You can make managing stress a family project and help your teen figure out what works best for them. A few ideas: see our picks for the best mindfulness and meditation apps for teens, or try these techniques for re-centering with nature. And don’t forget simple practices like keeping a gratitude journal; studies show that experiencing gratitude builds resilience and buffers against depression.

Stress is a part of life, but remember that it’s not always negative. Healthy stress, for example, can motivate teens to study hard for a test or practice until they master a new skill. Stress becomes dangerous when it becomes too much for teens to manage and affects their mental and physical health. These techniques empower teens to recognize, reduce, and manage their stress: a skill that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.