Whitney Stewart - Mindful Me: Mindfulness and Meditation for Kids

Also by Whitney Stewart

Mindful Me Activity Book

Meditation Is an Open Sky: Mindfulness for Kids

A Catfish Tale

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Stewart, Whitney, author.

Title: Mindful me : mindfulness and meditation for kids / Whitney Stewart.

Description: Chicago, Illinois : Albert Whitman and Company, [2018]

Identifiers: LCCN 2017038022 | ISBN 9780807551448 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Meditation for childrenJuvenile literature. | Mindfulness (Psychology)Juvenile literature. | AwarenessJuvenile literature.

Classification: LCC BF723.M37 S743 2018 | DDC 158.1/2083dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017038022

Text copyright 2018 by Whitney Stewart

Pictures copyright 2018 by Stacy Peterson

First published in the United States of America in 2018

by Albert Whitman & Company

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Mindfulness practice is a resource. It is not a substitute for medical treatment. If you have any concerns, please consult your health care provider before you start a mindfulness practice.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 BP 22 21 20 19 18

Design by Jordan Kost and Ellen Kokontis

For more information about Albert Whitman & Company, visit our website at www.albertwhitman.com.

To Penelope and Lise, who helped and inspired

You probably already know that some days life feels easy and fun, and other days everything goes wrong. You might have an argument with a friend or sibling and not know how to settle it or handle your angry feelings. Or, maybe school is hard and homework piles up. You could feel overwhelmed by everything you have to do, but be afraid to ask for help.

Then there are times when youre so excited about an upcoming event that you cant stop your brain from thinking about it. Maybe youre about to play in a soccer match or perform your first piano recital. A little stress can be good for you, because it pushes you to prepare. But what happens when you cant turn off your worries? Do you end up with a stomachache or have trouble falling asleep?

And what about loneliness? Sometimes you might feel like you dont fit into the popular crowd no matter what you do. Have you ever felt like that? Maybe other kids dont understand your passion for collecting spiders or doing crossword puzzles. That doesnt mean these arent cool hobbiesthey are!but you could find yourself doing them alone.

You might think youre the only one with these challenges, but the truth is, everyone has hard times. Really, everyone! You cant control these situations. But you can control how you deal with them. Do you get angry and yell when things dont go your way? Do you cry or hide? Do you act out so people will pay attention to you? Or do you pretend nothings wrong and hide your sad feelings? We all find ways to cope, but sometimes we make the situation worse when our methods are not skillful.

Thats where MINDFUL ME PRACTICE comes in. Think of it as learning techniques for handling your life with wisdom. Instead of complaining and stressing about your bad luck or bullies or homework, you could learn to face whatever is happening and let it teach you something. Use the situation to make you stronger, or to make changes.

With MINDFUL ME PRACTICE, you can become a mountain, solid in any storm.

When you practice MINDFUL ME exercises, you are practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness means paying attention, on purpose, to whats happening around you and inside you right now, without judging things as good or bad. You become curious about your experiences in a friendly way. You notice the details of whatever is happening through present-moment awareness.

Awareness is noticing and knowing. Heres an example of present-moment awareness. Imagine you are looking at a bee sitting on a flower. You are simply watching the bee with full attention. You notice the bees shape and colors. You hear the bees soft buzz. You notice the bees antennae moving. You notice how the flower bends a little when the bee is sitting on it. All of your attention is on the bee.

When your mind loses present-moment awareness, it starts narrating like this: Oh, bees are scary. I wonder if the bee will sting me. I dont like bees because they hurt when they sting. Are there more bees? What if I get stung? Do I have to go to the doctor? These are thoughts you are having about bees. They are not observations of the bee.

If you are allergic to bees, this is a useful line of thinking that tells you to move away from the bee. But many of us are not allergic, and yet we get distracted and upset by imagining that the bee is a threat to us. When that happens, youre back in your head, thinking and worrying. And the more thinking and worrying you do, the more stress you could feel.

But if you are simply practicing present-moment awareness of mindfulness, you will notice you were distracted and shift your attention back to the bee on the flower.

So youve seen the bee on the flower. Maybe you got distracted but redirected your attention to studying and mindfully observing the bee. Perhaps you are feeling more relaxed and calmer. But why? What about this present-moment awareness of mindfulness can help you?

Lets look at present-moment awareness of your inner experiences. You might notice that when you have a busy mind full of anxious thoughts, you feel stress. If you obsess about something and avoid doing anything about it, the situation often grows worse.

However, when you use your present-moment awareness to notice and identify whats going on inside youyour thoughts, emotions, and physical sensationsyou can begin to respond to your stress with strategies that calm you down and improve your health and happiness.

In other words, you need to become aware of a problem before you can find ways to deal with it.

Still not convinced mindfulness will help? Lets review the benefits of mindfulness that scientists and doctors have discovered:

Increased Awareness

Mindfulness practice helps you to develop your present-moment awareness of both your outer experienceslike the bee on the flowerand your inner experiences. Your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are all part of your inner experiences. This increased awareness can help you because it allows you to develop strategies for your health and wellness. When you have a toolbox of strategies, you often feel a greater sense of well-being and experience less pain and distress.