Discovering Balance Through Meditation
- B Alviani, D Cajic, S Dedhia, E Jones, S Maree, T Yap Young
- Apr 9, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 10, 2024
In today’s society, more and more adolescents struggle with mental health, often with no guidance on how to take the next steps. They face overwhelming academic pressure, societal judgment, and social media comparisons. The growing need for effective self-care strategies is so important to help teenagers navigate life. With these meditation self-care strategies, we will explore guided meditations to help lead anyone in need.
Why is Mediation Important?
In a crucial period where life is going by so fast, teenagers may face many challenges of self-discovery. Meditation can play a vital role in understanding oneself, allowing us to better understand the world around us. These coping strategies are highly beneficial as they bridge the connection between mind and body often leading to discoveries not found in books or online. Incorporating these practices every day can improve stress management, sleep quality, and negative emotions like anger and improve memory!
Resources for Guided Meditations
Meditation Tips for Stress Management
To cope with stress, it is important to learn how to disconnect from the world and reconnect with your inner self. Take some time to find a safe space, light a candle, or smell the soothing smells of nature. While sitting calmly, allow yourself to breathe naturally. You start to sense the world around you, the smells, body movement, and heartbeat. Allowing your body and mind to align will create a newfound appreciation for being present in the moment, embracing each breath as strength and resilience.
Note. Best Meditation for Stress Release [With script] [Photograph] 2019, The Daily Meditation
Meditation can be super effective in helping manage stress, leaving you feeling more in control. Meditation for stress management can reduce negative health impacts and help people better adjust to life’s responsibilities (Hersoug et al., 2018). Consistent practice can help reduce worries, nervousness, and other mental distress (Hersoug et al., 2018). So next time you feel anxious or overwhelmed, take a step back, breathe, and be present in the moment!
Have you ever had a pit in your stomach or a ball of anxiety and just can't seem to overcome it? Try out this guided meditation for stress! The soothing voice and easy instructions could be precisely what you need. From its nice ambiance to its body relaxation themes, it can help you unravel a cluttered mind, leaving you at ease.
How Meditation Boosts Self-Esteem
Imagine starting a journey but it’s on your mind! You start with some deep breaths to relax and get focused. By relaxing your body, noticing every little sensation and movement, and repeating positive affirmations that will replace any negative thoughts with empowering ones. As your journey wraps up, you feel refreshed and light-hearted as you go about your day with your newfound self-esteem. Sounds fantastic, right?
Note. From Self-Worth: 20 Ideas to Build Self-Esteem [Photograph] by Vanessa Van Edwards,
Science of People (https://www.scienceofpeople.com/self-worth/)
Meditation can be a superpower if practiced regularly! It can help you master and control your feelings. When you meditate, you learn to act with awareness, observing the world around you (Chandna et al., 2022). This non-reactive mentality allows you to process thoughts with clarity. Through the use of positive thinking exercises, it allows you to better understand inner thoughts and emotions (Chandna et al., 2022). Visualizing your success and repeating affirmations help boost self-esteem and help you feel awesome! Although meditation can boost self-esteem, it takes patience and consistency. Nothing great comes overnight! It’s like your secret weapon to feeling confident in your skin!
This guided meditation is fantastic for beginners! This is the perfect place to start if you have a few minutes and a quiet space to be alone. The continuous use of positive affirmations, allows you to boost your self-esteem! We left the meditation feeling refreshed and confident, and we hope you do, too!
Positive Effects Meditation Has On Sleep Quality
Hey, there sleepyheads! Are you tossing and turning all night, restless or anxious? Picture this: cozied up under a blanket, soft-soothing sounds, deep breaths… total relaxation. Before you know it, you’ll be drifting off into dreamland! With each exhale you let go of the day's troubles while your body goes into a deep sleep. As you relax, you drift off allowing yourself to fall asleep, safe and sound. Sweet dreams!
Note. From Guided Meditation For Sleep: How To Sleep Better [Photograph] Desa Seni
Through this practice, mindful meditation can significantly improve your sleep (Rusch et al., 2018). Often when we go to bed, we replay all the memories of what happened throughout the day. However, by practicing mindful meditation, our brain uses these tools to help calm the thoughts in our head and allow us to finally sleep soundly (Rusch et al., 2018). This allows you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. Remember, it’s important to practice this every night before bed! I mean who wouldn’t want to wake up feeling refreshed?
After a long day of class, spending time outside in the sun or a tiring day doing chores. Getting a good night’s rest is super important but sometimes it can be challenging. This guided meditation which helps specifically to help you fall asleep, helps you find a state of peace and tranquility. Listening to the soothing sounds and calming voice, it’s as if you’re floating on a cloud.
Meditation and Anger Management
Effective anger management is crucial for maintaining healthy relationships and personal well-being. Meditation plays a crucial role in lessening anger for our mental well-being by offering a transformative approach to managing emotions.
Note. From Shrimad Rajchandra Mission: Meditation- Releasing Anger [Photograph]
Through regular practice, meditation enables individuals to observe their thoughts and feelings without getting triggered, and with greater neutrality and compassion. Through meditation, one can control one of the most powerful emotions - Anger. With voluntary and consistent practice, one can learn to not get triggered in the first place. This in turn also leads to better moods for short periods (Hirano et al., 2013). Imagine being a cool person and not the crazy hothead who enjoys his life!
There are a lot of things that we have to do in life. Lashing out due to anger and affecting others’ and our mental health should not be one of them. And that’s why, it is important to keep our mind cool and mindfulness spot-on!
Meditation For Improving Working Memory
Working memory is the mental workspace where your brain processes and manipulates information. In the whirlwind of teenage life—juggling school, extracurriculars, and socializing, finding moments of clarity can feel like an impossible task. Yet, amidst the chaos, there lies a powerful tool that can not only calm the storm within but also enhance your memory’s quality - you guessed it right! It's Meditation! Once you start meditating, you work on your attention, focus, calm, and patience. This gives your brain a much-needed break and time to repair and recharge.
Note. From Second Wind Movement: How to Use Meditation to Improve Memory and Boost Brain Power, [Photograph], by Cyn Meyer (https://secondwindmovement.com/meditation-memory).
Take 10-15 minutes off your day and practice mindfulness. This practice is proven to improve the development of the thinking brain which helps in logical thinking, decision-making, and a better understanding of things.
In a world filled with distractions, practicing meditation can be your secret weapon for sharpening your working memory!
Each of these meditation strategies is proven effective in leading a better life. However, each strategy could be ranked differently as each one of these serves a different purpose. Based on your unique experience feel free to use whichever strategy suits you!
Let's remember the essence of our journey…
At its core, meditation is about presence. The key to life is all about focusing on your meditative journey which can improve self-esteem, sleep quality, anger management, and memory.
Consistency is key! So, let's commit to showing up for ourselves each day, even if it's just for a few minutes. The calm you seek starts with you.
To Get Started
Mindfulness meditation is not a new hobby or an activity to pass the time. It is a way of life! Here is a guided meditation to start you off!
Let us know what you think of the video and how it made you feel in the comments below.
Reference List
Bedtime meditation for sleep [Video] Help Guide. https://www.helpguide.org/meditations/bedtime-meditation-for-sleep.htm
Black Dog School of Yoga. (2017, December 19). 10-minute mindfulness meditation for teens
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_bmCKMrLYs
Chandna, S., Sharma, P., & Moosath, H. (2022). The mindful self: exploring mindfulness in relation with self-esteem and self-efficacy in Indian population. Psychological Studies, 67(2), 261–272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-021-00636-5
Daily Mediation. (2019, October 31). Best meditation for stress release [With script].https://www.thedailymeditation.com/stress-2
Desa Seni A Village Resort. Guided meditation for sleep: how to sleep better. https://www.desaseni.com/guided-meditation-for-sleep/
Edwards, V. Self-worth: 20 Ideas to build self-esteem. Science of people. https://www.scienceofpeople.com/self-worth/
Goodful. (2021, February 9). 10-Minute Meditation for Anger [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkse4PPxkk4
Guided meditations. (n.d.). https://www.mindfulnessforteens.com/guided-meditations
Hersoug, A. G., Wærsted, M., & Lau, B. (2018). Nondirective meditation is used in stress management. Nordic Psychology, 70(4), 290–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/19012276.2018.1443278
Hirano, M., & Yukawa, S. (2013). Shinrigaku kenkyu: The Japanese Journal of Psychology, 84(2), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.4992/jjpsy.84.93
Hughes, G. ( 2012, July 11). Mindfulness and working memory. Mindful. https://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-and-working-memory/
Kang, H., An, S. C., Kim, N. O., Sung, M., Kang, Y., Lee, U. S., & Yang, H. J. (2020). Meditative Movement Affects Working Memory Related to Neural Activity in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 931. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00931
Meyer, C. (2023, November). How to use meditation to improve memory and boost brain power. SWM [Infographic]. https://secondwindmovement.com/meditation-memory/
Psych Hub. (2020, April 7). Meditation for stress [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix73CLI0Mo0
Rusch, H. L., Rosario, M., Levison, L. M., Olivera, A., Livingston, W. S., Wu, T., & Gill, J. M. (2019). The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1445(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13996
SELF. (2022, March 8). 10-Minute Guided Meditation: Self-Love | SELF [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj0JDwQLof4
Shrimad Rajchandra Mission. (n.d.). Meditation: Releasing Anger [Infographic]. https://www.srmd.org/divineshop/releasing-anger
TEDx Talks. (2014, November 24). How mindfulness meditation redefines pain, happiness & satisfaction | Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat | TEDxSFU [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVwLjC5etEQ
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