Focus
- Helpful thoughts can increase your happiness and well-being.
- Helpful thinking is about shifting from negative thoughts to a more positive outlook on life.
- By using this practice guide regularly, you can develop effective thinking habits.
Helpful Thoughts: What is good for children, youth and parents
Reflection can help you and your children see and appreciate the good in life.
It’s easy to spend too much time thinking about the bad. If you do this, these things can become overwhelming and cause anxiety and stress. Mindfulness can help you put negative events and difficult times into perspective.
- How to Practice Mindfulness
- Take 10-15 minutes a day for a week to write down 3 things that you did well. It can be as simple as, “My son gave me a sweet smile this morning.” Or a big event – for example, “I beat my daughter on her birthday.”
- Under each good thing, write down the steps you took to make it happen. For example, if you wrote, “My child gave me a beautiful smile today,” you could write, “I smiled and she smiled back.”
- Try not to let negative thoughts get in the way. For example, you might think, “But a few minutes later, my child got into a fight with her sister.” Try to think about positive experiences, no matter how small or short.
- Try to organize them for a week. This may feel a little different at first, but it will get easier.
Provide useful ideas for children of all ages
Younger children may need help coming up with ideas, so you can work together on this activity. For example, you could remind your children how to build their favorite LEGO creations. In addition, younger children will find it easier to write about positive things they are focused on, such as Lego pictures.
Older children and teenagers can try these activities on their own. But they will have more ups and downs than before, so it may be difficult for them to think of three positive things. Your gentle encouragement will help. For example, you may want to remind your older child that he or she has completed a difficult task or that his or her younger sibling has done well.
