Managing thoughts

​One of the things I have noticed with teaching teens is the increased levels of anxiety that they are experiencing.  A great deal of anxiety can be traced back to an original thought that once we begin to focus on can take on a life of its own until we literally cannot think of anything else.  I was given this visualization and simple tool by my yoga teacher as a way to help manage the nature of the mind when it comes to thoughts with the hope of cultivating awareness and reducing triggers for stress.  It uses a mobile phone as a reference to convey this idea which all teens can relate to as most of them have one.  I believe in making things teen friendly and relevant as a way to offer them support!

Materials required – a mobile phone

How to facilitate it:  

• Hold up your mobile phone for a moment and explain that we are using the idea of a phone as a tool to practice an approach that may help us to manage the nature or our minds and recurring thoughts.

 

• Imagine that you have something that is on your mind at the moment and it is beginning to create a level of stress.  It may be an upcoming exam, a fight with a friend or whether you are going to get a place at college perhaps.

 

• When you notice that thought coming into your mind again visualize that thought as an ‘ID Caller’ – see the ‘ID Caller’ appear on your screen.  Decide as you see that thought whether or not you feel like answering the caller – or engaging with that thought.  Perhaps you simply see it and decide you do not feel like engaging with that ‘caller’ and ignore it.

 

• As you begin to use this practice it enables you to look at the thought from a slightly different perspective.  Taking this approach offer the possibility for the thought to not have a hold over you, reducing potential stress and a less of a reactive response as it loses its charge gradually with no attention.

 

• I love this analogy and have found it to be accessible for some teens.  Why not try it and see if your teen likes the idea or not?  I am passionate about finding ways to empower teens to manage their mental and emotional well being.
  
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