Do exams, whether unit tests or finals, stress you out?
Not enough likes on social media, does it stress you out?
Does your parent’s behaviour stress you out?
Do your relationships stress you out?

If your answer to any of the above is yes, then this article is for you.

In today’s fast-paced world, teenagers face an increasing amount of stress from various sources. Academic pressures, social expectations and personal challenges can take a toll on their mental well-being. While stress is a normal part of life, it’s crucial for teenagers to develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Here, we will explore five mindful de-stressors — positive ways for teenagers to unwind and restore balance in their lives. By embracing these techniques, teens can cultivate a greater sense of calm, boost their overall well-being, and navigate the challenges they encounter with resilience.

1. Engaging in Physical Activities

Physical exercise is not only essential for maintaining good physical health, but it also plays a significant role in reducing stress and improving mental well-being. Choose any physical activity that you like and enjoy, such as cycling, swimming, dancing, or practising yoga. Hiking and going on long walks, either alone or with friends, can also be considered. If you don’t like such activities, you can think of dancing or gymnastics. Choose any activity that you can continue to do over a long period. If you like the activity, there are chances that you will continue to do it. These activities can release endorphins, the body’s natural mood elevators, and provide a sense of accomplishment and relaxation.

2. Exploring Creative Outlets

Creativity is a fantastic outlet for stress relief and self-expression. Explore creative activities that resonate with your interests, such as painting, drawing, writing, playing a musical instrument, or engaging in crafts. Check for classes near your residence for these activities, or explore YouTube videos under the title DIY.

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The teenage years are filled with newfound ideas, freedoms, experiences, relationships and discoveries about self and others that were never noticed before, as well as learning to create and nurture relationships. They are also filled with angst, self-doubt, insecurities, social issues, school or college struggles and relationship challenges. Relationship challenges can be with newfound friends and old friends whose values seem to have changed, parents and siblings who are themselves becoming teenagers! Sometimes it is through these struggles that relationships become stronger and last a lifetime. Let’s take a look at how we can ensure that we not just retain but also nurture our relationships through mindfulness.

Mindfulness simply means to be present and engaged, to pay attention, to be aware and conscious of your actions. When you apply these behaviours to your relationships, they can only grow stronger.

Here are five tips to strengthen your relationships:

1. Mindful conversations

Try and remember the last time you had a deep conversation with your friends or family. Be mindful of every moment you spend with them. Do you look at your mobile when you are talking with your family or friends? The phone can be a great distraction. When we don’t look at those with whom we speak with, we lose many verbal cues that can help us connect and strengthen relationships. Be mindful of your habit of losing yourself in your mobile. Take the time to connect with your family and friends and see how meaningful the conversations become.

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Mindfulness means focusing on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations. The tenets of mindfulness apply to mindful eating too, but the concept of mindful eating goes beyond just eating food. Mindful eating means being fully attentive to your food — as you buy, prepare, serve and consume it. Let’s see how mindfulness helps us. 

1. Eating slowly

Do you wonder why your parents insist that you eat slowly?
Here’s why. Science has shown that the body takes 20 minutes to send a signal to the brain to say that it is full. So, when we eat quickly, we tend to overeat simply because we don’t realise that we are full.

2. Chew your food 20 times

Why is this so important? When you chew your food, the saliva gets a chance to mix with your food and helps in the digestion process. Many digestion-related problems, including weight gain or weight loss, occur due to food not being digested properly.  

3. Distractions

Why is it important to put away that phone while you eat? When you are distracted with your phone, you are not paying attention to the food that you are eating. There is a high chance of you missing the signals that your body is giving you when you are distracted. Enjoy the company and the food completely. This will help you slow down too.

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“Money doesn’t grow on trees!”
“When you start earning, you will understand the value of money!”
“A penny saved is a penny earned!”

Have you had any of the above sentences said to you? If yes, this article is for you.

Mindfulness about money is not just awareness about the money that you have. It revolves around your emotions, actions, beliefs and thoughts related to money, too. Do you get stressed every time you think about money? Or do you truly believe that whenever you need money, you will manage to get it from someone? Change your thoughts about money by thinking positively and bring abundance to yourself.

Here are 7 tips for teenagers that teach mindfulness about money:

1. Budget

How to: Whether you are getting pocket money or earning a salary at a part-time job, budget your expenses. Decide how much you will spend on various types of expenses and stick to those budgets. For example, decide on a certain amount of your earnings for food, travel, clothes, gifts for friends, etc. This ensures that you don’t go overboard on any one category. Identify your discretionary spending, such as entertainment, eating out with friends, etc. Set a certain amount or percentage that you will spend on discretionary spending and don’t go over those self-imposed limits.

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“Teenagers today really don’t know how to behave when guests visit!”
“Teenagers today just don’t listen to anything we say!”
“Teenagers today just don’t care about anything and don’t want to learn anything new!”

Have you had any of the above sentences said to you or about you? If yes, this article is for you.

When it comes to social skills, teenagers are often seen as awkward, inexperienced and sometimes downright rude.

Teenage years are fraught with social anxiety. Peer relationships are very important for teenagers and now technology plays a major role in these social relationships. On the one hand, social media helps teenagers get in touch with their peers and others whom they wouldn’t be able to interact with without social media; on the other hand, social media cuts teens away from those they are present with physically! They get so involved with social media that they don’t realise when they are ignoring the people around them, and this includes their peers sometimes!

However, social skills are just like any other skill — they can be learned and practised until they become one’s second nature. Here are 7 tips for teenagers that address the bad rap and improve their social skills:

1. “Teenagers today don’t know how to behave when guests visit!”

Be present: When you talk to someone, give them your full attention. Put away your phone for a little bit. It’s okay to spend less time with them while giving them your full attention rather than being with them for a long time without paying attention to them.

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