A free Mindfulness Audio, finding your Safe Haven

This blog follows on from the Mindful awareness exercises https://bristolchildparentsupport.co.uk/2017/05/mindfulness-exercise-to-hep-your-child-feel-calm/.  I would try the other activities first before this one. Many parents are not aware that paying attention to breathing can, for some, heighten the experience of anxiety. Your child may feel more anxious and may observe some worries or fears. That’s why it’s good to start with awareness in the home and the “raisin/sultana” exercise.

Finding your haven, a mindfulness visualisation

Many parents are not aware that paying attention to breathing can, for some, heighten the experience of anxiety. Your child may feel more anxious and may observe some worries or fears. That’s why it’s good to start with awareness in the home and the “raisin/sultana” exercise.

Here is my Simple Five minute Safe Haven Mindfulness Audio. After your child has listened to it, you can ask them to draw their safe place; this not only helps them to process it but will mean that they can easily reaccess it. Help them to practice; this is not like a musical instrument but trying to incorporate into awareness, even if it is just waiting in the car, watching TV, or having a quiet moment.

I have been using this exercise for many years. There is some evidence ( there have not been extensive studies as yet the emerging evidence looks promising that mindfulness can:

•  Help children and adults calm down when they are anxious or scared. shown  to  reduce  stress,  anxiety,  reactivity  and  bad  behaviour,  improve  sleep  and  self-­‐esteem
• Bring greater calmness,  relaxation,  the ability to manage behaviour and emotions, self-­‐awareness  and empathy.
• Mindfulness can contribute directly to developing cognitive and performance skills and executive function.
• Help  young  people  pay  greater  attention,  be  more  focused,  think  in  more  innovative  ways,  use  existing  knowledge  more  effectively,  improve  working  memory,  and  enhance  planning,  problem-solving
• It is straightforward to do and access.

( Taken from Katherine Wear’s report Mindfulness in School From Exeter University on https://mindfulnessinschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/MiSP-Research-Summary-2012.pdf)

I hope it helps, do share and like on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BristolChildParentSupport/.

I hope it helps your child feel safe. With love Catherine