Activity: create a mindful moment to relax or fall asleep

Here are two guided activities that work well for helping older children and teenagers feel calm and relaxed.

• Suggest your child brings to mind somewhere they feel calm and relaxed. This could be a real or imagined place. Encourage them to use all their senses to help them visualise how the place smells, looks and feels.
• If they’re worried about something, they might prefer to bring that situation to mind, but imagine it going exactly as they want.

Another way to create a calm head space is to take a few moments to relax the muscles. Get your child to:

• Tense and relax each limb, one by one.
• Focus on the weight of their arms and legs, and feel how they’re sinking a little into the mattress.
• Tense and then relax their stomach.
• Finally, lie still for a few minutes just breathing. Be aware of the heavy and relaxed feelings in their body.