Mindfulness Learning Objective: To explore the practice of mindfulness. I can understand how the teenage brain develops. I can explore ways to manage my emotions. I can practice mindfulness as an example of a healthy coping strategy.

The Teenage Brain During puberty it isn’t just your bodies that are changing and developing – your brain is too! Lots of teenagers can struggle with feeling angry easily and putting up walls and not talking to family and friends like they used to. This is all to do with the fact that your brains and bodies are undergoing extensive reorganisation. So what is going on???

The Teenage Brain Hormones Hormones such as testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone trigger physical changes in the body e.g. the deepening of the voice and growing facial hair in boys and the growing of breasts and the beginning of the menstrual cycle in girls. However, they don’t only cause physical changes, they can impact on the brain too! These hormones have been present during childhood but during puberty the concentration of these hormones increases dramatically. For example, a boy can have up to 30 times more testosterone in his body than when puberty began. Levels of Oestrogen and Progesterone in girls fluctuate during the menstrual cycle and both hormones have an impact on controlling mood. Levels of testosterone in boys impacts our fight or flight response, i.e. aggression or fear. These hormones are also active in the emotional part of the brain which can make teenagers emotionally volatile and also seek out emotional experiences – anything from a film that makes you cry to a rollercoaster that makes you scream. It’s not just hormones going on in the brain – new connections between brain areas are being built and many chemicals are in a state of flux (change).

Mindfulness Learning Objective: To explore the practice of mindfulness. I can understand how the teenage brain develops. I can explore ways to manage my emotions. I can practice mindfulness as an example of a healthy coping strategy.

Managing Emotions Be creative Go for a run/play sport Get some space/take time out What do you do when you start feeling upset or angry? Link in from the last slide and ask students to think in pairs what they do when they start feeling upset or angry. Ask them to suggest coping mechanisms they use. They might suggest things like taking time out and removing themselves from the situation, talking to someone, going for a run/playing sport, do something they enjoy like reading etc. Try and get students to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy strategies. Put up the final suggestion which is to practice mindfulness – see at this point if what they already know about mindfulness. Do something you enjoy, e.g. reading Talk to someone Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness Learning Objective: To explore the practice of mindfulness. I can understand how the teenage brain develops. I can explore ways to manage my emotions. I can practice mindfulness as an example of a healthy coping strategy.

Mindfulness Mindfulness is all about living fully in the present moment, without judgment, and with an attitude of kindness and curiosity. It’s about breathing, noticing what’s happening right here and now, sending a gentle smile to whatever you’re experiencing in this moment (whether it’s easy or difficult), and then letting it go. You can be mindful anytime, anywhere, no matter what you’re doing. It sounds simple, but it’s not always easy to do, especially when you are stressed!  Explain what mindfulness is and show the clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk7IBwuhXWM

Practicing Mindfulness How did it make you feel? It is a strategy you might try? Why/why not? If you are happy to do this, select one of the guided meditations from the list on the mindfulness for teens website. Choose one that you think would be appropriate for your class. When they have finished ask them to reflect on the experience. How did it make them feel? Is it a strategy they might try themselves? http://mindfulnessforteens.com/guided-meditations/

Mindfulness Colouring Mindfulness colouring is a very popular way of practicing mindfulness and finding a way to relax. Allow students time to try another way of practicing mindfulness – colouring! As students are working play some music in the background – some is suggested on the link. Encourage students to work quietly. Just like the last activity, ask how they found the activity – was it relaxing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjj7zIWO88s

Mindfulness Learning Objective: To explore the practice of mindfulness. I can understand how the teenage brain develops. I can explore ways to manage my emotions. I can practice mindfulness as an example of a healthy coping strategy.

Me, Myself and I Self-Reflection Read through the statements based on your learning from this unit. Tick each one you are able to do then decide whether overall you are Working Towards, Working At or Working Beyond. As this is the final lesson in the unit, students need to complete the self-reflection sheet. They need to read through the statements carefully and tick each one they are able to do. They then need to decide whether overall they are Working Towards, Working At or Working Beyond the criteria for this unit. Students need to stick the sheet in their books and their result needs to be recorded onto markbook.