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Mindfulness for Teens: How It Works, Benefits, & 11 Exercises to Try

Published: June 8, 2022 Updated: July 1, 2022
Published: 06/08/2022 Updated: 07/01/2022
Stephanie Capecchi, LCSW
Written by:

Stephanie Capecchi

LCSW
Headshot of Naveed Saleh, MD, MS
Reviewed by:

Naveed Saleh

MD, MS
  • What Is Mindfulness?Mindfulness
  • Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness For TeensBenefits
  • Mindful Activities for Teens11 Activities
  • How to Stick to a Mindfulness PracticeTips
  • Final ThoughtsConclusion
  • Additional ResourcesResources
  • Mindfulness for Teens InfographicsInfographics
Stephanie Capecchi, LCSW
Written by:

Stephanie Capecchi

LCSW
Headshot of Naveed Saleh, MD, MS
Reviewed by:

Naveed Saleh

MD, MS

Mindfulness refers to giving your full attention to the present moment without judgment. Many activities can be done mindfully, such as exercise, painting, coloring, and fishing. There are also specific mindfulness exercises and techniques that are suitable for teens, including paced breathing, grounding and body scans.

Is your teen struggling with depression or anxiety? Get matched with a licensed therapist by completing Teen Counseling’s brief questionnaire and begin online therapy for as little as $60 per week.

Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for referrals by Teen Counseling

Visit Teen Counseling

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the intentional act of giving your undivided attention to the present moment (vs. the past or future) without judgment. The nonjudgmental attitude is key, because we tend to judge our own thoughts, and simply being aware of our thoughts can bring a radical change. Mindfulness for kids and teens can be a wonderful strategy to help aid in development and as a coping skill for difficult times.

Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness For Teens

Mindfulness can help people become more aware of their thoughts and emotions, and that increased insight can open doors to new choices. A centerpiece of mindfulness is observing the present without judgment—learning to meet oneself without judgment can build compassion and kindness.

In today’s world of fast-moving media, concentration can be difficult. Many mindfulness activities encourage sustained focus, which can assist in developing this skill.

Research has shown the following benefits of mindfulness for teens:1,2,3,4,5,6,7

  • Increases optimism
  • Improves social behaviors
  • Improvements in attention
  • Improves self-control
  • Reduces bullying
  • Decreases teen stressors and teen anxiety
  • Improves compassion toward oneself
  • Improves emotion regulation
  • Improves school behavior

11 Mindful Activities for Teens

Mindfulness activities that resonate with your needs can be done on a daily basis. It’s OK to start being mindful by trying a variety of techniques to see which ones fit. Different activities may also have different benefits; some may encourage relaxation, while others may encourage awareness. Mindfulness for teens can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

Here are 11 mindful activities for teens:

1. Deep Breathing

Breathwork is a classic mindfulness activity, which typically refers to purposefully manipulating the breath while mindfully focusing on it. This particular activity refers to deep, slow breaths (sometimes called belly breaths) that use the diaphragm. This encourages your body to relax.

2. Paced Breathing (e.g., Inhale 5, Exhale 7)

An additional type of breathwork is paced breathing, where the length of the inhales and exhales are purposefully manipulated. It can be helpful to have a longer exhale than inhale, because our heart rate slightly slows during the exhale. Try inhaling to a count of 5, and exhaling to a count of 7. Use the skills from the previous activities (deep breathing) so your breaths are diaphragmatic.

3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation refers to tensing and releasing specific muscle groups. For example, scrunch your shoulders up to your ears; bring as much tension as possible to your neck and shoulders. Slowly count to three and release all that tension. Now continue that with all muscle groups, including your hands, arms, chest, and stomach. You can do larger or smaller muscle groups depending on your preferences.

4. Meditation

There are many types of meditation, which typically involve keeping one physical position and paying attention to one thing, like your breathing, a mantra, or physical sensations. When your mind wanders—and it will—nonjudgmentally bring it back to that point of attention. Meditation can be uncomfortable at first, and may not be appropriate for ages. If it feels too uncomfortable, it’s OK to use other mindfulness activities.

5. Grounding With 5-4-3-2-1

The 5-4-3-2-1 exercise brings teens, or people of any age, back to the present moment through all of their senses.

Notice and say out loud or internally:

  • 5 things you can see (pick a color, for example, 5 blue things)
  • 4 sensations you can feel (e.g., your back against the chair, cool air on your hands)
  • 3 sounds you can hear
  • 2 things you can smell (it’s OK to actively smell things, like the laundry detergent on your clothes)
  • 1 thing you can taste

6. Body Scan

Completing a body scan is another simple mindfulness activity. Bring your attention to various parts of your body, perhaps spending 10-30 seconds on each part (e.g., toes, bottoms of feet, tops of feet). Notice any and all physical sensations: warmth, coolness, tension, tingling, pressure, pain, or textures. There are many guided body scans to help facilitate this as well.

7. Journaling

Journaling can absolutely be mindful, especially when it is given full attention without judgment. Journaling can be done as a “free write,” where you write whatever comes to mind without editing or censoring. Prompts can also be used to guide the writing toward specific topics.

8. Movement/Exercise

The repetitive movements of exercise can become meditative when given one’s full attention. Really any physical activity can become a mindfulness activity when approached with the attitude of mindfulness. Take a mindful walk and notice everything around you: sounds, the temperature, how it feels to walk, bodily sensations, nature, and sights of the area.

9. Coloring

An approachable mindfulness activity is coloring. Coloring can bring a sense of creativity and playfulness to mindfulness. To make this a mindful activity, give your full attention to the coloring. When the mind wanders, gently and nonjudgmentally bring it back to the coloring.

10. Listen to Music

Listen to a favorite song with your full attention. You can close their eyes and listen to everything. You should try to notice how the music makes you feel as well.

11. Mindful Eating

For a bite-sized mindfulness activity, try eating a piece of fruit or a candy mindfully. Use a clementine as a starting point; notice the color and texture of the fruit; peel it slowly; notice the smell. Take one bite and slowly examine what it’s like to eat it.

How to Stick to a Mindfulness Practice

Mindfulness is most effective when it is practiced regularly. Sometimes it can feel like a lot of work to attach yourself to a new habit. To do this, you may need to identify the type of mindfulness that you enjoy, and figure out how to make it sustainable for yourself. As a beginner to mindfulness, this may mean experimenting with different approaches.

Here are eight ways teens can keep up with mindfulness practices:

  1. Find something you enjoy: if you enjoy the practice itself, it’s much easier to return to it. If one mindfulness activity does not resonate, that is OK! Try another and find something you like.
  2. Keep it manageable: if the mindfulness practice is too long or onerous, pare it down. It is OK if it’s only 1, 2, or 5 minutes! While 20 minutes of meditation is wonderful, so is 5 minutes of coloring per day. Start small and allow the mindfulness practice to grow organically.
  3. Pair it with an existing habit: habit researchers have discovered that a habit can be reinforced by pairing it with an existing habit. For example, if you brush your teeth every morning, do your mindfulness right after. Or if you always read before bed, do some deep breathing right before.8
  4. Create a reward for the habit: you can positively reinforce the habit by creating some sort of reward.8 The reward has to be motivating to you—maybe you can use a habit-tracker app, where you can check off your successes. Maybe you want to get a Starbucks drink every time you complete your mindfulness habit.
  5. Find the right time of day: some of us are morning people, and some of us are night owls. This is fine! Use this knowledge to complete your mindfulness activity at the time of the day where your energy is right. For example, if you’re too tired in the morning, don’t do it then.
  6. Find a friend: having some companionship and accountability can help you dedicate yourself to a mindfulness habit. Find someone to partner with to make it more fun!
  7. Create a menu for yourself: if you are having a hard time sticking to the same habit every day, try switching it up. Create a menu of mindfulness activities. It can be as short or as long as you’d like, but give yourself permission to try different things.
  8. Set up a reminder or alarm: use your phone or a smart speaker to set up a reminder for the time you determined as a good fit for you.

Final Thoughts

Mindful activities can be a wonderful tool to help teens manage their emotions and the stressful, chaotic nature of their lives. Luckily, there are many tools for mindfulness so that everyone can find something that is appropriate for them.

Additional Resources

Education is just the first step on our path to improved mental health and emotional wellness. To help our readers take the next step in their journey, Choosing Therapy has partnered with leaders in mental health and wellness. Choosing Therapy may be compensated for referrals by the companies mentioned below.

Mindfulness & Meditation App – Headspace is an easy way to incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your routine. See for yourself how a few minutes each day can impact your stress levels, mood, and sleep. A monthly subscription for Headspace is only $12.99 per month and comes with a 7-day free trial. Try Headspace

Teen Counseling – Are you struggling with stress, anxiety, or depression? Having trouble maintaining friendships? Get matched with a licensed therapist on Teen Counseling. Completing Teen Counseling’s brief questionnaire and begin online therapy for as little as $60 per week. Get Started

BetterHelp Online Therapy – BetterHelp has over 20,000 licensed therapists who provide convenient and affordable online therapy. BetterHelp starts at $60 per week. Complete a brief questionnaire and get matched with the right therapist for you. Get Started

Talkspace Online Therapy – Online therapy is convenient with Talkspace. Get therapy for as little as $69 per week, or potentially much less if you have insurance from Cigna, Optum, or UHR. Try Talkspace

Choosing Therapy’s Directory – Find an experienced therapist who is committed to your wellbeing. You can search for a therapist by specialty, availability, insurance, and affordability. Therapist profiles and introductory videos provide insight into the therapist’s personality so you find the right fit. Find a therapist today.

Choosing Therapy partners with leading mental health companies and is compensated for referrals by BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Headspace

For Further Reading

  • Best Anxiety Books for Teens
  • Teen Counseling Service Review
  • Headsapce vs Calm: Apps for Mindfulness & Meditation
  • Best Books on Mindfulness 2022
  • Mindfulness for Teens: What’s mindfulness anyways?
  • Mental Health America

Mindfulness for Teens Infographics

What Is Mindfulness Mindful Activities for Teens How to Stick to a Mindfulness Practice

8 sources

Choosing Therapy strives to provide our readers with mental health content that is accurate and actionable. We have high standards for what can be cited within our articles. Acceptable sources include government agencies, universities and colleges, scholarly journals, industry and professional associations, and other high-integrity sources of mental health journalism. Learn more by reviewing our full editorial policy.

  • Schonert-Reichl, K.A., Lawlor, M.S. The Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Education Program on Pre- and Early Adolescents’ Well-Being and Social and Emotional Competence. Mindfulness 1, 137–151 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-010-0011-8

  • Napoli, M. (2004). Mindfulness Training for Teachers: A Pilot Program. Complementary Health Practice Review, 9(1), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076167503253435

  • Liu, X., Xiao, R., & Tang, W. (2021). The Impact of School-Based Mindfulness Intervention on Bullying Behaviors Among Teenagers: Mediating Effect of Self-Control. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211052047

  • Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2009). Mindfulness-­based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: a review and meta-­analysis. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(5), 593–600. http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2008.0495

  • Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A Pilot Study and Randomized Controlled Trial of the Mindful Self-­Compassion Program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28–44.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21923

  • Roemer, L., Williston, S. K., & Rollins, L. G. (2015). Mindfulness and emotion regulation. Current Opinion in Psychology, 3, 52–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.02.006

  • Barnes, V. A., Bauza, L. B., & Treiber, F. A. (2003). Impact of stress reduction on negative school behavior in adolescents. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 1(10), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-1-10

  • Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: tiny changes, remarkable results : an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. New York, New York: Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

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Stephanie Capecchi, LCSW
Written by:

Stephanie Capecchi

LCSW
Headshot of Naveed Saleh, MD, MS
Reviewed by:

Naveed Saleh

MD, MS
  • What Is Mindfulness?Mindfulness
  • Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness For TeensBenefits
  • Mindful Activities for Teens11 Activities
  • How to Stick to a Mindfulness PracticeTips
  • Final ThoughtsConclusion
  • Additional ResourcesResources
  • Mindfulness for Teens InfographicsInfographics
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