As parents, we all long for our kids to navigate the world with resilience and grace. This can feel particularly daunting when you have a highly sensitive child. Highly sensitive people experience everything with such intensity. Mindfulness for highly sensitive children can be transformative in helping them manage their big emotions and thrive in a world that often feels overwhelming. It’s about teaching them to slow down, tune into their senses, and develop a compassionate awareness of their inner world.
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the present moment with openness and without judgment, helping individuals become more aware of their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. It encourages a sense of calm and clarity, promoting emotional well-being and reducing stress.
As we dive into mindfulness, you will learn helpful strategies to guide you and your child along this journey. You will be able to experiment with different methods and determine which work best for your child. Mindfulness will help your little one take a step back from their big feelings, allowing them to fully process why they are feeling a certain way, and how they can still find peace among the chaos.
Did you know that roughly 15-20% of children are considered highly sensitive? This doesn’t mean something’s wrong. Highly sensitive children aren’t simply “too sensitive,” they’re wired differently. Their nervous systems are designed to process information more deeply.
This leads to a greater awareness of subtleties but also makes them more susceptible to sensory overload. Research suggests that highly sensitive children’s nervous systems are more sensitive to stimuli due to differences in neurotransmitter production.
Think about the feeling of a scratchy tag on a shirt or the overwhelming noise of a crowded playground. While others might shrug it off, these sensations can be truly overwhelming for a highly sensitive child, and mindfulness can help. Providing support to your child may involve things like promoting self-acceptance in them as they grow.
This is where mindfulness steps in as a powerful tool. By teaching our highly sensitive kids how to become aware of their thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment, we empower them to manage their emotional responses and navigate the world with more ease. Nurturing sensitivity is important when supporting highly sensitive children.
They begin to understand that emotions, like waves, rise and fall, and they don’t have to get swept away by them. They can better understand their internal experiences, whether that’s their thoughts, feelings, or even just noticing a change in their facial expression.
Even something as simple as focusing on the breath can have profound effects for sensitive people. Start by teaching your child to breathe deeply into their belly, noticing how their stomach rises and falls.
You can even make it playful by imagining they’re blowing up a big balloon or gently blowing out birthday candles. If your child is easily overwhelmed by their external surroundings, this is a great place to start.
Mindfulness for highly sensitive children thrives with sensory activities. This can be as easy as taking a “nature walk” to notice the sights, smells, and sounds of their surroundings. That said, understanding high sensitivity in your own child is important so that you can tweak these activities as you see fit. Not every exercise will work for every child.
Encourage them to describe what they observe. It helps ground them in the present moment and develop a greater awareness of their sensory experiences.
Inside, create a “calm-down corner” stocked with items like a weighted blanket, noise-canceling headphones, or a squishy stress ball. You can learn more about how to create a calm down corner here.
Movement can be incredibly grounding, especially for kids who are bursting with energy. This could include anything from simple stretches in the morning to practicing yoga together. The key is to emphasize body awareness.
Encourage your child to notice how their body feels as they move. A nurturing environment like this can be essential to helping them grow.
Cultivating gratitude helps shift focus from what’s wrong to what’s good. Before bed, take turns sharing three things you’re grateful for.
This simple act helps children focus on the positive aspects of their day and cultivate a sense of appreciation for the little things. This might seem small, but over time, it rewires the brain towards positivity and resilience.
As parents, it’s crucial to walk the talk. Kids learn from observing us, so incorporating mindfulness practices into your own life sets a powerful example. Try meditating as a family using a guided app.
Start a “gratitude jar” where everyone writes down something positive each day. Making it a shared experience creates a beautiful opportunity for connection and growth, plus it makes practicing mindfulness way more fun for everyone involved.
Like with anything new, there will be times when your child resists practicing mindfulness. Don’t get discouraged. Just meet them where they are at.
Instead of forcing it, try making it a playful game. Remember, consistency is key, and finding even small moments throughout the day to pause, breathe, and observe can make all the difference in creating a calmer, happier, and more mindful life for your child.
This may require you as the parent to get professional support, too. Check to see if your child may need therapy to best support their unique needs. One type of therapy beneficial to mindfulness is internal family systems. This therapy teaches children about different “parts” of themselves, and gives them a greater sense of autonomy over their thoughts and actions.
Mindfulness for highly sensitive children offers countless benefits, empowering them to embrace their sensitivity as a strength. As you incorporate these tools, keep in mind that parenting is a journey with peaks and valleys. It’s okay to stumble.
The most important thing is to create a loving and supportive environment for your child to learn and grow. With patience and consistent practice, you can give them the gift of mindfulness – equipping them with invaluable tools to thrive, not merely survive.
Remember, introducing mindfulness for highly sensitive children isn’t about changing who they are, but it’s about giving them a toolbox of coping skills to thrive in their own unique way. This journey may be filled with its challenges but supporting them as they learn and grow will equip them to navigate the world with greater confidence, compassion, and inner peace.
Mindfulness for Highly Sensitive Children: Practical Strategies & Tips
Jill Gilbert
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