Mindfulness Matters
A month-long campaign brought to the community by the
Collaborative Youth Team of Illinois.
WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
Mindfulness can be described as the practice of paying attention in the present moment and doing it intentionally and with non-judgment. Mindfulness meditation practices refer to the deliberate acts of regulating attention through the observation of thoughts, emotions and body states.
WEEK #1
TRANQUILITY
For the first week of March 2019, the CYT focused on tranquility, the quality or state of being calm.
It is sometimes hard to obtain tranquility in a busy world full of distractions and stress.
Try these helpful tips and resources to learn how to create a life of tranquility.
Tips for Adults + Children
- Celebrate your uniqueness.
- Try to not use anger as a solution.
- Practice acceptance and understanding.
- Learn to say “no” to commitments and “yes” to time for yourself.
- Take notice of the simple things.
- Light a candle and tap into your senses.
- Look around! There is a whole world around you.
WEEK #2
INTENTIONAL
For the CYT’s second week of Mindfulness Matters, the CYT focused on being intentional. To be deliberate and purposeful in our actions can take some practice.
Try these helpful tips and resources to learn how to be intentional in your practice of mindfulness.
Tips for Adults + Children
- Experience all that is around you.
- Manage expectations for both you and/or your children.
- Carve out time to practice mindfulness.
- Do a body scan to wind down before sleep.
- Try not to make intention a chore.
- Tailor your practices to your own life and family.
- Roll down the windows for some brisk air and breathe in.
- Concentrate on the current moment, relax, and set aside your worries.
WEEK #3
PRESENCE
Thoughts and feelings all fixed on the task at hand is being present. The CYT focused on Presence for its third week of the Mindfulness Matters campaign.
Try these helpful tips and resources to learn how to be intentional in your practice of mindfulness.
Tips for Adults + Children
- Take a breath. Breath―along with change―is the only constant and being present starts with the breath.
- Focus not only in the present but on the exact moment you are in. Take in everything around you using your five senses, step-by-step.
- Don’t be a witness to your life. Instead, place yourself physically and mentally in your present situation multiple times a day.
- Think like Elsa! “Let it Go” and be who you were meant to be. Abandoning who you are to please others only makes others happy, but what about your own self worth? Treasure YOU today.
WEEK #4
SENSORY EXPERIENCE
Have you tried something that you feel with your physical senses? If so, you’ve had a sensory experience.
Ways to Experience Your Senses
- Focus on the air moving through your throat and expanding in your body.
- Notice how the sun reflects off of a windshield.
- Listen to the squishing sound someone’s footsteps make outside in the moist ground.
- Narrow in on the residual taste of salt or sugar in your mouth after a meal.
- Smell the subtle scents before you take your first bite of food.
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