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 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.
• Get them to try to hold this place in their head for a few moments until they feel more calm.
• If they’re worried about something specific, they can bring that situation to mind. Ask them to imagine it going exactly as they want.

Create a calm head space by taking 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.

See our advice on what else you can do if your teen is struggling to sleep.