Your child needs a minute… or two.
But don’t take it from me. Straight from a psychiatrist and ADHD specialist’s (and physician’s, and author’s, and spiritual teacher’s, and monk and peace activist’s) mouth, today you’ll learn:
Why Mindfulness is the bee to the land of milk and honey that is your child’s mind. Sa-weeeet.
They’re buzz words right now, huh? Mindfulness. Awareness. Being thoughtful and intentional. The importance of presence. Meditation.
…all that.
And we know what happens when things start buzzing around our face, it’s all too easy to just swat that bugger away. You know, “stop bothering me, I’ll get to that later,” syndrome.
But does your child have that luxury? Right now more information is bombarding them than ever before in history. In 2011, Americans took in five times as much information every day as they did in 1986—the equivalent of 174 newspapers. The estimate is that during our leisure time — we’re not even talking about work — you and I processed 34 gigabytes, or 100,000 words, every day.
And that was a decade ago. Instagram didn’t even begin until October 2010, and TikTok just started in September 2016. So imagine how those gigabytes have grown in strength over the past ten years as agenda-loaded emotionally charged info-litter pummeling our focus day in and day out.
In other words, that land of milk and honey is being dumped with mounds of trash and artificial sweetener.
Here’s what psychiatrist and ADHD specialist Edward Hallowell has to say about it, “never in human history, [have] our brains had to work so much information as today. We have now a generation of people who spend many hours in front of a computer monitor or a cell phone and who are so busy in processing the information received from all directions, so they lose the ability to think and feel. Most of this information is superficial. People are sacrificing the depth and feeling and cut off from other people.”
Looks like it’s time to get the environmentalist involved, because your child’s most important environment –– the world of their mind –– may be being treated like a landfill.
Thankfully, if you act now, there is something you can do about it.
For that, I’ll turn it over to Dr. Daniel Siegal, author of Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation and The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attainment in the Cultivation of Well-Being:
“Modern times often cause us to go on automatic pilot, continually multitasking and buying our lives with digital stimulation, information overload, and schedules that stress our brains and overwhelm our lives. Finding time to pause amidst that chaos has become an urgent need few of us take the time to satisfy.”
Your child needs a minute to pause and breathe. Urgently. A minute or two.
See, meditation, mindfulness, the contemplative arts –– they not only help to focus amongst the chaos, they also help us to be more selective when choosing what’s being allowed in.
It starts with a mindful minute.
Good thing I have just the minute (or two) for you!
Today’s learning video continues on with our children’s mindfulness series (and if you missed the first video and activity, it’s waiting for you right here). This two-minute breathing activity is designed to help your child take a step away from information overload, and into a moment of presence.
When it comes to your, and your child’s, mind, we want the sweet nectar of divine inspiration and uniquely appointed gifts flowing wild and free. So when that mindfulness bee gets to buzzing, take heed. Because mindfulness is the tool that keeps your land of milk and honey clean, clear, tasty and free.
But, incase you need more convincing, here are four more experts buzzing your way.
“…if I know one thing for sure, it’s that you can do small things inside your mind that will lead to big changes in your brain and in your experience of living.”
Rick Hanson, PhD. Neuropsychologist and Author
“All forms of meditation strengthen & direct our attention through the cultivation of three key skills: concentration, mindfulness & compassion or lovingkindness.”
Sharon Salzberg, Meditation Teacher and Author
“I think the greatest gift we can give our children is the experience of deep quiet. If we don’t help our children cultivate contemplation, reflection, prayer, meditation, or whatever other practice of mindfulness, then they’re likely to be completely spun out of their center by the time they’re in grade school.”
Marianne Williamson, Author and Spiritual Teacher
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist Monk and Peace Activist
Let’s make Thich That Hanh proud and conscious breathe together.
That’s today’s bee’s knees.
I’ll see you in the next video. Until then, sending happy thoughts.
P.S. Let’s stay in touch! Weekly I share learning activities including videos and color sheet printables! You even start out with a free gift. I’d love to have you.