Description
Imagine you had a magic wand, that took away all the difficult thoughts and emotions. Pliing… away with all the worries about upcoming tests, exams and sports-try-outs. Away with the thoughts about whether you fit in and whether people like you. Away with the critical voice in your head telling you that you are not pretty, smart or confident enough. And away with emotions such as loneliness, anxiety and anger.
Unfortunately, this course is not magic, and the difficult thoughts and emotions aren’t going anywhere; we all have them and they will be there for the rest of our lives. However, this course offers some essential tools for how to deal with them.
Theoretical Background
Thriving Teenager is a condensed version of the world renowned and evidence based 8 week MBSR course (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) but adapted to the age group. It is supplemented with engaging and fun exercises from ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – a mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy). As well as exploring mindfulness during the course we will also look at values as they play an important role when one approaches adulthood and when making important decisions in life
It is important to stress that this course is not therapy. The aim of the course is not to “fix” any mental or learning difficulties. Mindfulness might be able to help cope with these, but it is not the aim of the course. Please inform the teacher prior to the course, if the student has any mental or physical health issues.
Home-practice
Like any other new skills, mindfulness needs to be practiced regularly. Just like going to the gym in order to get stronger muscles, the mind can be shaped and strengthened through mindfulness practice. A regular meditation practice has been proven to build new neurological pathways in the brain. Participants therefore need to be committed and open minded. It is expected that the students practice around 10-15 min of mindfulness at home every day during the course (guided meditations are provided).