Mindfulness and the New ABC of Managing Difficult Feelings — for Kids

I did an experiment with my children tonight and a new favorite practice was born. Let me explain how it came about. I have been working with a short, soothing practice with my adult clients that is easy to remember and do “in the moment” as we go through our busy days. (I would love you to try it and post your feedback here. It takes between 2 minutes — and however long is helpful for you. The more you do it, the more it will become your automatic “go to” practice with difficult emotions.) I call it The New ABC because it helps me recall the steps when I describe it to clients. It is something to do whenever you notice frustration, stress, sadness, anxiety, fear, agitation, anger, embarrassment — or any upset rising, large or small: Here is how I translated it for my girls tonight and what they told me they did — not bad for a first try I think! “So we are going to try a new mindfulness exercise tonight girls — it’s called The New ABC and it helps you with any difficult feelings you might have had today. You can do it like we are now – with something that happened during the day — and once you know it off by heart, you can also do it whenever you realize you are not feeling so good: right then and there. So just think of a time today when you were feeling a difficult feeling — like worried, scared, angry or sad — and follow each of the four steps of The New ABC. 1: NOTICE what you are feeling. See...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Children and Teens Mindfulness Parenting Personal Self-Help Stress anxiety Difficult Feelings Embarrassment Emotional Regulation Emotions Frustration Mood Swings Present Moment Worry Source Type: blogs